City of Basketball Love

Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch)
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Across her decorated career in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Philadelphia’s own Dawn Staley played in six all-star games. When she appeared in her final one on July 12, 2006 at Madison Square Garden – in which she tallied five points, seven rebounds and four assists for the West – Staley was still the only woman from Philly to be a WNBA All-Star.

That streak lasted for 15 years before finally coming to an end just two weeks ago.

Kahleah Copper, a Prep Charter graduate, got a text on June 30 from WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. When Copper called back, Engelbert told her the good news: the girl from North Philly was an All-Star.

“I’m just super excited,” Copper said Tuesday. “It sounds cliché, but like, you put the work in, you get the results.”

Copper will suit up for the WNBA’s All-Star team Wednesday night in Las Vegas. In the WNBA’s 25th season, its all-stars will be co-coached by legends Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson when they take on Team USA as the squad prepares for the Olympics. There will be some Philly flavor on both sidelines, as Staley coaches the Olympians.

“I'm super happy for her,” Staley said of Copper on Tuesday, clarifying that Copper is not just from Philadelphia, but “specifically, North Philly.”

Staley continued: “She’s playing extremely well. She's also in the USA Basketball pool of players… And I think if the Olympics is something that she wants to do, she's on the right path of representing in that way, representing herself, representing Philly. And hopefully in the near future, she’ll be able to represent USA on the national team level.”

The journey for Copper to her first all-star nod has been a lengthy one. This season is her sixth in the WNBA, but just her second as a full-time starter for the Chicago Sky.

A versatile 6-foot-1 guard, Copper had been a serviceable reserve player in her first few years in the WNBA since being drafted in the first round by the Washington Mystics in 2016. But she really broke out in last year’s “Wubble” in Bradenton, Florida, where the league played in isolation amid the pandemic. After making just 15 starts in her previous four professional seasons, Copper started in each of the 22 games she played in for the Sky last season, averaging a career-high 14.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per-game, while also shooting a career-best 49.6% from the floor. She was 10th in the league in field goals made, draining 132 shots, and helped the Sky appear in the playoffs.

This season, Copper is leading the Sky in scoring with 13.9 points per-game through 20 contests. And that’s no easy feat on a team that features a sharpshooter like Allie Quigley, dynamic guards like Diamond DeShields and Courtney Vandersloot, and a dominant post presence in future Hall of Famer Candace Parker. Copper is also posting per-game averages of 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 43% from the floor, 30.8% from behind the arc and a career-best 89.6% from the charity stripe. Among all WNBA players, Copper is ninth in minutes played this season and 13th in defensive win shares, according to HerHoopStats.

Copper credits Parker with some of her recent growth, saying that the two-time MVP has challenged her every day.

“I think (Parker) is a big part of the reason why I am where I am today, here as an all-star,” Copper said. “I think that her leadership has been great for me, and she’s just been a great mentor for me.”

For Parker, seeing the joy that making the all-star team brought Copper helped the veteran put the importance of the game into perspective, to be among some of the most talented women’s basketball players on the planet.

“I think when you’re able to be fortunate enough to go to multiple all-star games, and you realize like – my teammate Kah, this is her first time here as an all-star – and you realize again how special it is to be a top player in the best league in the entire world,” Parker said.

Copper also believes that her new offseason job has helped her on the court. Last fall, she became an assistant coach at Division II Purdue Northwest, opting to kickstart her coaching career instead of playing overseas. Copper had played abroad in the past in Belgium, Turkey and Poland, and was a bit worried that taking a few months off from playing would disrupt her rhythm.

Instead, it helped her refocus.

“I think that it really helped me see the other side of the game and to see it differently. And I think it grew me into more of a leadership role for my team,” Copper said. “I wanted to focus on being a better defender for us, because I know what I can bring offensively, and I wanted to be a rebounding guard. I can rebound. So, I think that I've definitely been attacking that this year.”

By becoming a coach, Copper was the latest branch to grow on the large coaching tree for C. Vivian Stringer, who recruited the North Philly girl to Rutgers.

Coming out of Prep Charter in 2012, Copper was a four-star recruit and tabbed as the 18th top player in her class and the best player in the state of Pennsylvania by ESPN. The McDonald’s All-American had dozens of offers to choose from, but ultimately picked Rutgers over DePaul, St. John’s and Syracuse. While playing for the Scarlet Knights under the great Stringer, Copper finished her Rutgers’ career as third on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,872 points. Copper helped Rutgers win the WNIT in 2014 and make the NCAA tournament in 2015. She was the MVP of that WNIT run and also made the All-AAC First Team, and was then twice named to the All-Big Ten Team.

During the pre-game press conference on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Copper was joined in her session with the media by her close friend Betnijah Laney, a New York Liberty forward who is also playing in her first all-star game.

Laney and Copper have spent a lot of time together. Laney grew up just about an hour south of Philadelphia in Smyrna, Delaware, and she and Copper played AAU ball together with the New York Gauchos and college ball together at Rutgers. This will be the first time they’ve been on the same team since their days with the Scarlet Knights.

When the two found out they both made the all-star team, they picked up their phones to congratulate each other, and to coordinate their outfits for Vegas.

“It really means a lot, I think for both of us, just to see all the hard work that we've been putting in over the years,” Laney said. “We’ve both seen each other's evolution and what it took for us to get here. We've known each other since we were about 11 years-old, and to just be here and then be able to share this moment together – both of our first all-star’s – I'm really excited for her and for us and everything that we've been able to accomplish thus far.”

Added Copper: “For us to share this moment together is amazing.”

Prior to the “Wubble” season in 2020, Copper signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Sky worth $330,000. If she keeps playing at her current pace, she’ll be well-positioned for a raise this offseason.

At just 26 years-old, Copper’s professional basketball journey is far from over. Like the rest of the folks rooting for her back home, Staley expects this to be the first of many WNBA accolades for Copper.

“I hope she leads the way for other Philadelphians to be able to experience being a WNBA All-Star and more,” Staley said. “I’m incredibly happy for her.”