Zia Cooke was brought to tears after the Los Angeles Sparks selected her with the 10th overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft on Monday night ... but get this, the moment got even more emotional for her -- 'cause she later got a shout-out from Magic Johnson!
The sweet scene all went down at Spring Studios New York in Manhattan after the former South Carolina point guard -- who averaged 15.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last season -- walked on the stage following the Sparks' selection.
"I put my life into this."
Zia Cooke was overcome with emotion after being drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks 🥹 pic.twitter.com/fLrcel1Ga1
— espnW (@espnW) April 11, 2023 @espnWYou can see in video of the draft's broadcast, she broke down in tears ... before saying, "It means the most."
"I put in a lot of work since I was 6 years old," she added while crying. "I put my life into this."
The Ohio native also spoke of her father ... saying he's been supportive since day one, always making sure her dreams would come true.
During the broadcast, Cooke's dad could also be seen watching his daughter give her emotional speech with pride.
"My dad, being here for me since I was a kid," Cooke said, "this is something I dreamed of and I'm finally here. It's crazy."
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