Kahleah Copper Bio
Kahleah Copper is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Rose BC of Unrivaled. A 6 ft 1 in shooting guard and small forward, she was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics. Copper won a WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky in 2021 and was named WNBA Finals MVP that same year, and she later added an Olympic gold medal with the United States in 2024.
Early Life and Background
Kahleah Copper was born on August 28, 1994, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up in North Philadelphia and attended Girard College and the Preparatory Charter High School, both located in her hometown. As a high school player, she was named to the All-Public League team in Philadelphia, the All-State team in Pennsylvania, and the McDonald’s All-American team in 2012.
Copper went on to play college basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from 2012 to 2016. She was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team in 2013 and earned First-team All-AAC honors in 2014. She finished her college career ranked third on Rutgers’ all-time scoring list with 1,872 points.
Path to Basketball
Copper’s path to professional basketball began with strong showings in high school, where her McDonald’s All-American selection marked her as one of the top prospects in the country. Her production at Rutgers over four seasons helped establish her as a reliable scorer and versatile wing. That combination of size, scoring, and pedigree led to her being drafted seventh overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft.
Kahleah Copper Career
Early Career (2016-2019)
Kahleah Copper began her WNBA career with the Washington Mystics in 2016, playing about 16.2 minutes per game as a rookie and averaging 6.2 points. Shortly after her rookie season, she was traded to the Chicago Sky as part of the deal that sent Elena Delle Donne to the Mystics, with Copper and Stefanie Dolson heading to Chicago.
During her first three seasons with the Sky, Copper came off the bench and averaged between 6.7 and 7.1 points per game. She also gained international experience, playing in Belgium with BC Castors Braine in 2016-2017, in Poland with Arka Gdynia in 2017-2018, and in Turkey with OGM Ormanspor in 2018-2019, and later with AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski in 2019-2020.
Chicago Sky Breakthrough (2020-2023)
In 2020, Copper was re-signed by the Sky and elevated to a starting role during the season played in a bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She responded by leading Chicago in scoring at 14.8 points per game. She continued as a starter in 2021, was named a WNBA All-Star for the first time, and led the Sky to their first championship in franchise history while earning WNBA Finals MVP honors.
Copper remained a focal point for Chicago in 2022, earning her second All-Star selection and helping the Sky return to the postseason. She also excelled overseas that winter, playing for Perfumerias Avenida in Spain and winning MVP honors in both the Spanish League and the EuroLeague. In 2023, Copper won the WNBA Three-Point Shootout and earned her third consecutive All-Star nod, and she closed her Sky tenure with overseas stints at Elitzur Ramla in 2020-2021 and Çukurova Basketbol in 2023-2024.
Phoenix Mercury Era (2024-Present)
On February 6, 2024, Copper was traded to the Phoenix Mercury alongside the rights to Morgan Bertsch, in a deal that brought Michaela Onyenwere, Brianna Turner, and multiple draft picks to Chicago. The move gave Copper a fresh start in the Western Conference and a clear role as a featured scorer in Phoenix.
Copper was named an All-Star for the fourth straight year in 2024 and earned All-WNBA Second Team honors. The Associated Press described her as instrumental in helping the Mercury qualify for the 2025 WNBA Finals, and Phoenix re-signed her in April 2026. She also joined Rose BC for the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a women’s 3-on-3 league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, and helped Rose win the first Unrivaled championship in 2025.
Driving Style and Strengths
Copper is a versatile wing who scores efficiently from the perimeter and the midrange, complements guards with her size, and fits comfortably at either the shooting guard or small forward spot. Her improved three-point shooting, reflected in her 2023 Three-Point Shootout title, has become a core part of her offensive identity, and her work in European leagues and with USA Basketball has rounded out her game on both ends of the floor.
Notable Events and Milestones
Copper’s signature moment came in 2021 when she led the Chicago Sky to their first WNBA title and was named Finals MVP. She added a EuroLeague regular season MVP in 2022, an Olympic gold medal with the United States in 2024, and an Unrivaled championship in 2025, joining an elite group of players to win major titles on multiple continents.
Kahleah Copper Career Wins
Kahleah Copper has built a résumé that includes a WNBA championship, a WNBA Finals MVP, a WNBA Three-Point Shootout title, an Olympic gold medal, a EuroLeague regular season MVP award, and an Unrivaled championship.
WNBA Highlights
Copper’s first WNBA championship came in 2021 with the Chicago Sky, when she also took home Finals MVP. She followed that with three more All-Star selections in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and earned All-WNBA Second Team recognition in 2024. Her most recent title came with Rose BC of Unrivaled in 2025.
Other Wins & Performances
Copper starred in Europe during the 2021-2022 season with Perfumerias Avenida, winning MVP honors in both the Spanish League and the EuroLeague. She also won an Olympic gold medal with the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and a FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup gold medal in 2022 in Australia.
Kahleah Copper Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kahleah Copper is a native of North Philadelphia, where she attended Girard College and the Preparatory Charter High School. Her upbringing in the city is a central part of her identity as a player.
Personal Life
Copper is based in the United States and continues her professional career with the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA. Public details about her immediate family and personal relationships have not been widely reported.
2025 Season Performance
Copper played the 2025 WNBA season with the Phoenix Mercury following her February 2024 trade from Chicago. She was central to a Mercury team that earned a spot in the 2025 WNBA Finals, and she was recognized by the Associated Press as instrumental in that playoff run. Phoenix re-signed her in April 2026, signaling a continued long-term role with the franchise.
Off the WNBA floor, Copper joined Rose BC for the inaugural 2025 season of Unrivaled and helped Rose capture the league’s first championship. Her consistent scoring, perimeter shooting, and two-way play kept her among the WNBA’s most reliable wings.
With Phoenix committed to Copper and her game continuing to expand, the Mercury entered the postseason as a contender and built momentum around a veteran scorer with championship experience at every level she has played.
