There’s an alternate timeline where Te’a Cooper is the fill-in point guard for the Phoenix Mercury on their two-game trip to Los Angeles to face the Sparks this week.
Cooper was drafted by the Mercury in 2020, and with Diana Taurasi out, could have been the replacement starter for tonight’s game. But due to the pandemic, Cooper had no opportunity to play for Phoenix in training camp before the team cut her. She instead joined the Sparks once Kristi Toliver opted out of the bubble season and has become a fixture of the L.A. roster over the past year.