Cynthia Cooper remembers the W's first years: "It was about time for the American public to see what women had to offer. And we were prepared to make the necessary sacrifices and now we're seeing the fruits of our labor."

Soon enough fans (well, one fan) recognized her in South Africa. "I was ordering my food and I heard `aren't you Cynthia Cooper of the WNBA... It was amazing. It had become global."

She also describes her friendship with Vickie Johnson, and she talks money: ""I don't think a lot of people realized how long the NBA took to get to [its current, very large] salaries."

Coop is one logical candidate for the W's all-decade team, whose ten members the league will announce tonight during ESPN2's Sting-Mystics game.