WNBA All-Star Draft results: Legends Cynthia Cooper, Teresa Weatherspoon pick players

Cooper got sweet revenge moments later, winning the coin toss to claim the leading vote-getter: Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers. Weatherspoon was assigned the second-leading vote: Indiana Fever G Caitlin Clark.

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Then, the WNBA All-Star Draft officially commenced. In the first round, Weatherspoon and Cooper selected four starters each by way of alternating picks. Weatherspoon picked Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson second off the board and Cooper then grabbed Commissioner Cup champion MVP Breanna Stewart with her No. 2 pick.

“She chose (Stewart) because she’s a Liberty player,” quipped Weatherspoon, who played for the New York Liberty from 1997 to 2003.

Reserves came next. Cooper kicked it off by nabbing Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese, much to Weatherspoon’s dismay. Weatherspoon coached Reese during her one-year stint as the Chicago Sky head coach in 2024. Weatherspoon then selected Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, prompting a reaction from Cooper.

“You were supposed to miss (Gray’s) name on the list,” Cooper said.

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Weatherspoon responded, “You were supposed to miss Angel (Reese’s) name on the list.”

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WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award winners over the years

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WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award winners over the years

Both general managers had an opportunity to make a trade afterwards, but opted to keep their teams in tact.

“The one word I’m going to use for (Team Spoon)… we’re competitive. We are competitive and we want to win,” Weatherspoon said, leading Cooper to ask, “But can you score enough points?”

Weatherspoon hit back, “Watch us. Just pay attention. If you don’t defend, what you going to do?”

Cooper quickly responded, “Score a lot of points.”

Team Coop

Head Coach: Becky Hammon

General Manager: Cynthia Cooper

Starters

“I’m super excited about Team Coop,” Cooper said after drafting her players. “We’re balanced. We play defense. Yep. We’re running the floor. We’re knocking down threes and we are getting it going for the 2026 All-Star game.”

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Here’s Cooper’s full team, plus what she said about each of her starters:

• Dallas Wings G Paige Bueckers: “Paige does it all. She can shoot the 3. She scores on all three levels, but the most important thing, she is the leader on the floor. She’s getting her entire team really involved in everything that they do,” Cooper said.

• New York Liberty F Breanna Stewart: “I just love her game. She plays on all three levels. She gets her teammates involved. She plays great defense. She can knock down to three, stop and pop here and transition. She can get the job done wherever. She morphs into whatever her team needs in order for them to win a championship.”

• Indiana Fever G Kelsey Mitchell: “I have to go with the fastest player in the W, and that is Kelsey Mitchell… I love Kelsey Mitchell’s balance. She can get to the rim. She finishes with either hand and she can stop and pop a shot from midrange in the 3-point line anytime she wants. She fights through contact, but she is a finisher around that rim.”

• Minnesota Lynx F Natasha Howard: Howard has been an All-Star with three different franchises. “She gets it done and she really does whatever it takes to win. She’s scoring off the position. She has great hands. She’s always around the basket. She’s always making herself available to her team for a wide open pass, and then she finishes that basketball around the rim.”

• Golden State Valkyries F Gabby Williams: “She’s going to be one of the headliners on Team Coop. She’s a big guard. She can get it done from the point guard position. She runs the floor. She finishes around the basket and she can knock down that 3-point shot with her hand in her face and that’s what Team Coop needs.”