Zia Cooke Bio
Zia Cooke is an American professional basketball player born on January 9, 2001, in Toledo, Ohio. A guard listed at 5 feet 9 inches, she played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks, where she became a two-time First-team All-SEC selection and helped her program reach three consecutive NCAA Final Fours. After being selected tenth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2023 WNBA draft, Cooke now plays for the Seattle Storm while also competing for Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball.
Early Life and Background
Cooke grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where her mother, Michelle, raised her. As a child, she first played on a boys youth football team, defying her mother’s preference that she try cheerleading. In seventh grade, she shifted her focus to basketball and quickly emerged as a standout in the local scene.
Cooke attended Rogers High School in Toledo, where she starred on the basketball court and also competed in softball, soccer, track and cross country. As a junior, she averaged 21.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, five assists and 3.1 steals per game, leading her team to the Division II state title and posting 33 points and 14 rebounds in the championship game. She repeated as state champion in her senior year, averaged 21.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists, and was named The Blade Player of the Year twice.
Path to Basketball
By the end of her high school career, Cooke was rated a five-star recruit and ranked among the top players in the 2019 class by ESPN. On November 5, 2018, she committed to South Carolina, choosing the Gamecocks over more than 60 college offers that included Ohio State, Texas, Louisville, Tennessee and Mississippi State. She was also selected to the McDonald’s All-American Game, confirming her status as one of the premier guards in her recruiting class.
Zia Cooke Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Cooke made an immediate impact at South Carolina. On November 13, 2019, she scored a freshman season-high 27 points with seven rebounds in a 75–49 win against Dayton. She averaged 12.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, helping the Gamecocks post a 32–1 record and a No. 1 national ranking, and she set a program record for games started by a freshman with 33. Her play earned her a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.
On December 31, 2020, Cooke recorded a sophomore season-high 26 points in a 75–59 victory over Florida, signaling her growth into a primary scoring option. That season she averaged 15.9 points, three rebounds and two assists per game and was named First-team All-SEC.
South Carolina Breakthrough (2021–2023)
On April 2, 2021, at the NCAA Final Four, Cooke scored a team-high 25 points in a narrow 66–65 loss to Stanford, capping a deep tournament run. In her junior campaign she was named Second-team All-SEC, continuing her consistent production as a perimeter scorer and playmaker for the Gamecocks.
As a senior in 2022–2023, Cooke anchored a South Carolina team that captured the 2022 NCAA championship during her time in the program and reached the Final Four for the third consecutive year. She won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as the nation’s top shooting guard and was named a Third-team All-American by both the AP and USBWA, repeating as First-team All-SEC.
WNBA Career (2023–Present)
Cooke was selected tenth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2023 WNBA draft. In her rookie season, she appeared in 39 games with four starts, averaging 4.8 points in 14.1 minutes per game. Her role diminished in 2024, when she played 29 games and averaged 3.6 points in 8.9 minutes per game, and on February 1, 2025, she was waived by the Sparks.
Eleven days later, on February 12, 2025, Cooke signed with the Seattle Storm and made the opening day roster. On August 5, 2025, she was traded to the Washington Mystics along with Alysha Clark and a 2026 first-round pick in exchange for Brittney Sykes, and she was subsequently waived. On August 18, 2025, Cooke was re-signed by the Storm to a rest-of-season contract.
Driving Style and Strengths
Cooke is a perimeter-oriented guard whose strengths include scoring off the catch, creating offense in pick-and-roll situations, and providing active on-ball defense. Her scoring efficiency from the perimeter and willingness to take on bigger perimeter assignments have been central to her role at both the college and professional levels.
Notable Events and Milestones
Signature moments include her 27-point debut-season high against Dayton, her 25-point performance in the 2021 Final Four against Stanford, and her role on the Gamecocks’ 2022 NCAA championship squad. She was also part of USA Basketball gold-medal teams at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Argentina and the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Belarus.
Zia Cooke Career Wins
Zia Cooke’s career is highlighted by team championships and individual recognition at the amateur level, with continued development at the professional level. Her most prominent victory came as a key contributor on South Carolina’s 2022 NCAA championship team, and she added international gold medals with USA Basketball at the U16 and U17 levels.
College Highlights
Cooke helped South Carolina reach three consecutive NCAA Final Fours (2021, 2022, 2023) and won an NCAA championship in 2022. Individually, she was a two-time First-team All-SEC selection (2021, 2023), a Second-team All-SEC pick in 2022, and an SEC All-Freshman Team member in 2020. She also received the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and was named a Third-team All-American by the AP and USBWA in 2023.
Other Wins and Performances
Cooke led the United States to gold at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Argentina, averaging 10.8 points per game, and followed it with a second gold medal at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Belarus. At Rogers High School, she won two consecutive Division II state championships and was twice named The Blade Player of the Year.
Zia Cooke Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Cooke was raised by her mother, Michelle, in Toledo, Ohio. Publicly available information about additional family members or an extended sports lineage is limited.
Personal Life
Cooke maintains an active presence off the court, having signed sponsorship deals with H&R Block as part of the company’s “A Fair Shot” campaign alongside Caitlin Clark, as well as with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bojangles through name, image and likeness agreements.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 WNBA season was defined by movement for Cooke. After being waived by the Los Angeles Sparks on February 1, she signed with the Seattle Storm on February 12 and made the opening day roster, looking to establish herself in a new backcourt rotation. Her early-season minutes reflected a developmental role as she adjusted to a new system.
On August 5, 2025, Cooke was traded to the Washington Mystics in a multi-player deal that also sent Alysha Clark and a 2026 first-round pick to Washington in exchange for Brittney Sykes, and she was subsequently waived by the Mystics. On August 18, she was re-signed by the Storm to a rest-of-season contract, allowing her to finish the year back in Seattle.
Outside the WNBA, Cooke signed with the Townsville Fire of Australia’s WNBL for the 2024–2025 season before parting ways in December 2024, and in January 2025 she joined Danilo’s Pizza SK of the Turkish Super League. She also returned to Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball in December 2025 after averaging 15.8 points across 12 appearances in the league’s 2024 season, underscoring her continued productivity in alternative professional settings.