Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979) is an American retired professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Nati ...

(WNBA). Catchings has won a

WNBA championship The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the officia ...

(

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

), WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

), WNBA Finals MVP Award (

), five WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards (

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

), four

Olympic gold medals An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is lai ...

(

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 2016), and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

). She is one of only 11 women to receive an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a Fiba World cup gold and a WNBA Championship. She has also been selected to ten WNBA All-Star teams, 12 All-WNBA teams, 12 All-Defensive teams and led the league in steals eight times. In 2011, Catchings was voted in by fans as one of the

WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time The Women's National Basketball Association's Top 15 Players of All Time were chosen in 2011 on the occasion of the fifteenth season of the WNBA from amongst 30 nominees compiled by the league by fan, media, coach, and player voting. The group was ...

, and would be named to two more all-time WNBA teams, the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016 and The W25 in 2021. Catchings served as President of the WNBA Players Association from 2012 to 2016. She was inducted into the

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's ba ...

in 2020.

Early life and college career

Catchings was born in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

. She played for both Adlai E. Stevenson High School and the Duncanville High School, where she was named a WBCA All-American. Catchings participated in the WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored twelve points. She is also the first player at any level in history to be officially credited with scoring a quintuple-double (25 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals and 10 blocks). Catchings was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n with the

Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball The Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA women's basketball competition. The team has been a contender for national titles for over thirty years, having made every N ...

for 1997–2001. She earned the Naismith College Player of the Year award, the AP Player of the Year award, the USBWA Women's National Player of the Year award, and the WBCA Player of the Year award in 2000. As a freshman on the undefeated 1997–98 National champions, she was part of the "Meeks" with

Semeka Randall Semeka Chantay Randall-Lay (born February 7, 1979, in Cleveland, Ohio) is the current head coach for the Winthrop Eagles women's basketball team. She is also a former collegiate and professional basketball player. She was hired as recruiting co ...

and

Chamique Holdsclaw Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw (born August 9, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars. She announced her retir ...

College statistics

Source

WNBA career

Catchings was drafted 3rd overall by the Indiana Fever in 2001. Unable to play in the 2001 season due to an

ACL injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

sustained during her senior year at Tennessee, she had an outstanding year in 2002 and was named

WNBA Rookie of the Year The Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel ...

while averaging 18.6 ppg, immediately making an impact on the Fever roster in her first year as a pro. During her rookie season, in a regular season game against the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded p ...

, Catchings had tied a then WNBA record, 9 steals (which has since been broken by

Ticha Penicheiro Patrícia Nunes "Ticha" Penicheiro, OIH (September 18, 1974) is a Portuguese sports agent and former basketball player. She played for the Sacramento Monarchs in the WNBA for most of her professional career. She was a four-time WNBA All-Star a ...

). That year, the Fever made it to the playoffs and despite losing 2–1 in the first round, Catchings had a dominant series, averaging a playoff career-high 20.3 ppg. Catchings's best season of her career would be in the 2003 season, where she averaged a career-high 19.7 ppg although the Fever never made it to the playoffs that year. In 2005, Catchings scored her 2,000th point in the Women's National Basketball Association. With this she became the fastest player to score 2000 career points in the WNBA, reaching the milestone in only four seasons of play. She is also the fastest to 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, and 300 steals. In 2005, Catchings was also named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Catchings then repeated as Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. She was again named Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010. In 2006, Catchings was voted into the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game, and was also the leading vote-getter, but had to sit out because of a foot injury. At half-time she was announced as a member of the All-Decade Team along with nine other players and former Comets coach Van Chancellor. Five years later she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA. Months before the 2008 season, the Fever traded for hometown all-star shooting guard Katie Douglas (who would play with the team until 2013) to pair up with Catchings, forming an all-star duo to compete for a championship and strengthen their lineup. However, the Fever fell way short of championship contention in 2008 as they were eliminated in the first round by the

Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. Th ...

during the playoffs. In 2009, the Fever would have more postseason success, as the chemistry developed between Catchings and Douglas, the Fever would advance to the WNBA finals, making it Catchings's first finals appearance. Prior to this, Catchings led the league in steals with 2.9 spg and helped lead the Fever to a 22–12 record, earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In the finals they faced the Phoenix Mercury and had a 2–1 series lead but would lose the next two games to be defeated in the finals 3–2. In 2011, Catchings won WNBA Most Valuable Player while averaging 15.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.0 spg also leading the Fever to a 21–13 record, topping the Eastern Conference standings. However, in the playoffs she performed poorly offensively averaging a playoff career low 10.0 ppg. The Fever would end up making it to the Eastern Conference finals where they got eliminated 2–1 to the

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real ...

. In game 2 of the series, Catchings suffered a right foot injury. Although she was able to play in game 3, she had a sub-par performance following the injury, playing only 10 minutes and was 0 for 4 from the field. In 2012, the Fever made a change in their starting line-up, with Douglas playing the small forward, Catchings at power forward and Shavonte Zellous at shooting guard during the regular season. The Fever finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 22–12 record. They made it back to finals that year, this time against the championship defending

, but they would defeat Minnesota 3–1 in the series becoming only the second Eastern Conference franchise to win a WNBA title, despite playing without Katie Douglas who suffered an ankle injury in the Conference finals. Catchings scored a game-high 25 points in the final game of the series and also won

WNBA Finals MVP The Women's National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season. During the first four years of the league, the Houston Come ...

. In 2014, Catchings missed the Fever's first 17 games of the season with a sore back and returned 6 games prior to the

2014 WNBA All-Star Game The 2014 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 19, 2014 at the venue then known as US Airways Center (now Talking Stick Resort Arena) in Phoenix, Arizona, the current home of the Phoenix Mercury. This was the 12th edit ...

in which she was selected to play in. During the all-star game, Catchings scored a game winning basket for the Eastern Conference all-star team to put them up 125–124 with 6 seconds left in overtime. Later on in the season, the Fever finished second in the East with a 16–18 record. On August 23, 2014, Catchings became the WNBA's all-time leading playoff scorer after making a three-point field goal in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...

surpassing

Lisa Leslie Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on ...

's 908 career playoff points. She finished the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 7 steals also surpassing Lisa Leslie for most WNBA career playoff rebounds (471). The Fever would then advance to the Conference Finals and were one win away from advancing to the 2014 WNBA Finals but lost 2–1 to the Chicago Sky. In October 2014 in a TV interview, Catchings revealed that she will be retiring after the

2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

. She said:

I will be retiring in 2016, Lord willing, if my body holds up. Although I plan to step away as a player that is not to say I'll step away from the game, hopefully. I am so thankful and blessed to have had an opportunity to play the game I have loved for so long. God has truly blessed me with an amazing playing career, and now it's time to start transitioning to what He has for me beyond the lines of the basketball floor.

In the 2015 season, Catchings was voted as a WNBA All-Star for the 10th time in her career while averaging 13.1 ppg, passing Tina Thompson for most all-star appearances. With a new all-star sidekick

Marissa Coleman Marissa Coleman (born January 4, 1987) is an American professional basketball player previously played for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Personal life Coleman was born in Portland, Oregon to Tony and ...

joining her in the frontcourt, the Fever finished third in the Eastern Conference with a 20–14 record and made it back to the finals for the first time in three years for a rematch with the Minnesota Lynx, this time with Minnesota winning the series 3–2. In the 2016 season, Catchings caught her 3,308th rebound in a regular season game loss to the Minnesota Lynx becoming the WNBA all-time leader in regular season rebounds also passing Lisa Leslie. Prior to becoming the WNBA all-time leading rebounder, Catchings had also become only the second player in WNBA history to have 7,000 points and 3,000 rebounds in the month of May. Catchings's final WNBA game was on September 21, 2016, in a first round playoff game loss to the Phoenix Mercury, due to the WNBA's new playoff format that had just been in effect, where the first and second rounds contains only a single elimination game instead of the traditional best-of-3 series. Also teams get seeded based on overall league standings instead of conference standings with the top two seeded teams receiving double byes to the semifinals (the last round before the WNBA finals) as well as the third and fourth seeded teams receiving byes to the second round. Catchings scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. As of her retirement, Catchings ranked 1st all-time in career playoff scoring, 1st all-time in career playoff rebounds, 2nd in all-time regular season rebounds, 2nd in all-time career regular season scoring, 1st in total career steals and 1st in career steals per game average. She also holds another WNBA record for most consecutive playoff appearances of 12 straight seasons. Catchings had also appeared in 3 WNBA finals. She was also listed in the WNBA Top 20@20, a list of the league's best 20 players ever in celebration of the WNBA's 20th season in 2016, and The W25, a similar list of 25 players announced during the league's 25th season in 2021.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

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Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

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2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

, 34 , , 34 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 35.6° , , .432 , , .387 , , .847 , , 8.0 , , 3.4 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , 3.0 , , 19.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 33 , , 33.8 , , .385 , , .335 , , .854 , , 7.3 , , 3.4 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , 2.3 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 34.5 , , .383 , , .285 , , .788 , , 7.8 , , 4.2 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 2.6° , , 0.5 , , 2.7 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 33.5 , , .407 , , .299 , , .809 , , 7.5 , , 3.7 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 2.9° , , 1.1 , , 2.5 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

, 21 , , 21 , , 32.3 , , .417 , , .311 , , .820 , , 9.0 , , 4.7 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 3.1° , , 1.0 , , 2.9 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 25 , , 17 , , 27.8 , , .391 , , .432 , , .800 , , 6.3 , , 3.3 , , 2.0 , , 0.4 , , 2.4 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 31.9 , , .386 , , .328 , , .873 , , 7.2 , , 3.1 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 2.9° , , 0.5 , , 2.6 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 31.4 , , .484 , , .448 , , .849 , , 7.1 , , 4.0 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 2.3° , , 0.9 , , 2.7 , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 31.5 , , .438 , , .348 , , .883 , , 7.1 , , 3.5 , , 2.0 , , 0.9 , , 2.2 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 30.5 , , .432 , , .379 , , .864 , , 7.6 , , 3.1 , , 2.1 , , 0.8 , , 1.7 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, 30 , , 30 , , 31.4 , , .396 , , .321 , , .861 , , 7.1 , , 2.4 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , 1.7 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, 16 , , 16 , , 26.8 , , .446 , , .368 , , .790 , , 6.4 , , 1.9 , , 1.7 , , 0.8 , , 2.1 , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, 30 , , 30, , 26.6 , , .382 , , .295 , , .868 , , 7.1 , , 2.2 , , 1.8 , , 0.8 , , 1.6 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016 , 34 , , 34 , , 24.8 , , .433 , , .350 , , .862 , , 4.8 , , 1.9 , , 1.8 , , 0.2 , , 1.2 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 15 years , 457 , , 448 , , 31.5 , , .415 , , .355 , , .840 , , 7.3 , , 3.3 , , 2.4 , , 0.8 , , 2.3 , , 16.1

Postseason

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, 3 , , 3 , , 34.3 , , .489 , , .381 , , .818 , , 10.7 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 3.7 , , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 36.5 , , .356 , , .417 , , .786 , , 9.2 , , 2.2 , , 2.0 , , 0.2 , , 2.7 , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 31.0 , , .323 , , .500 , , .667 , , 6.0 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 3.0 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 6 , , 32.7 , , .370 , , .263 , , .878 , , 11.0 , , 3.2 , , 2.2 , , 0.5 , , 1.7 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 37.7 , , .441 , , .273 , , .933 , , 7.7 , , 6.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 3.7 , , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10, , 35.7 , , .459 , , .250 , , .850 , , 10.4 , , 5.4 , , 3.3 , , 1.4 , , 3.4 , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 35.7 , , .413 , , .357 , , .813 , , 8.7 , , 3.0 , , 3.0 , , 0.7 , , 1.0 , , 18.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 5 , , 31.7 , , .333 , , .267 , , .783 , , 8.3 , , 2.3 , , 2.2 , , 0.5 , , 2.5 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 34.7 , , .376 , , .327 , , .897 , , 8.5 , , 3.1 , , 2.3 , , 1.8 , , 2.7 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 31.0 , , .431 , , .333 , , .781 , , 7.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 2.2 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 34.0 , , .311 , , .111 , , .900 , , 9.2 , , 3.2 , , 2.6 , , 0.6 , , 2.0 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 11 , , 32.7 , , .433 , , .469 , , .857 , , 6.9 , , 2.6 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.6 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016 , 1 , , 1 , , 29.9 , , .333 , , .000 , , .833 , , 10.0 , , 0.0 , , 3.0 , , 0.0 , , 3.0 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 13 years , 68 , , 67 , , 34.0 , , .397 , , .328 , , .854 , , 8.8 , , 3.3 , , bgcolor="EOCEF2" , 2.2‡ , , 0.9 , , 2.6 , , 16.8

USA Basketball

Catchings was named to the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team (now called the U18 team). The team participated in the third Junior World Championship, held in

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in late August and early September 1996. The USA team won their early games easily, but lost by four points to the team from Brazil, ending up with the silver medal for the event. Catchings continued with the team when it was invited to the 1997 FIBA Junior World Championship (now called U19) held in Natal, Brazil. After beating Japan, the next game was against Australia, the defending champion. The USA team pulled out to a 13-point lead in the second half, but gave up the lead and lost the game 80–74. She had a double-double in the game with 17 points and ten rebounds. The USA rebounded with a close 92–88 victory over Cuba, helped by 23 points each from

Maylana Martin Maylana Lynn Martin (born April 17, 1978, in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American former professional women's basketball player and currently a collegiate coach. Although born in Hawaii, she grew up in Southern California. She attended Perris High ...

and Lynn Pride. The USA then went on to beat previously unbeaten Russia. After winning the next two games, the USA faced Australia in the gold medal game. The USA team has a three-point lead late, but the Aussies hit a three-pointer with three seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Although the Aussies scored first, Catchings scored to tie the game, then the USA pulled into the lead and held on to win 78–74 to earn the gold, and the first medal for a USA team at a Junior World Championship. Catchings was the second leading scorer for the USA team with 13.2 points per game and the leading rebounder with 7.2 per game. In 1998, Catchings was named to the team representing the US at the William Jones Cup competition in

Taipei, Taiwan Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

. The USA team won all five games, earning the gold medal for the competition. Catchings averaged 6.4 points per game over the five games. Catchings played for the USA women's basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

, helping the team win the gold medal. Catchings was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009. The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. Catchings was selected to be a member of the National team representing the US at the World Championships held in September and October 2010. The team was coached by Geno Auriemma. Because many team members were still playing in the WNBA until just prior to the event, the team had only one day of practice with the entire team before leaving for

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four riv ...

and

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. It is n ...

, Czech Republic. Even with limited practice, the team managed to win its first games against Greece by 26 points. The team continued to dominate with victory margins exceeding 20 points in the first five games. Several players shared scoring honors, with Swin Cash, Angel McCoughtry,

Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx, who is currently on sabbatical. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the greatest ...

Diana Taurasi Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has ...

Lindsay Whalen Lindsay Marie Whalen (born May 9, 1982) is the head coach of the University of Minnesota's women's basketball team. She began her professional career as a point guard for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA ...

, and Sylvia Fowles all ending as high scorer in the first few games. The sixth game was against undefeated Australia — the USA jumped out to a 24-point lead and the USA prevailed 83–75. The USA won its next two games by over 30 points, then faced the host team, the Czech Republic, in the championship game. The USA team had only a five-point lead at halftime, which was cut to three points, but the Czechs never got closer. Team USA went on to win the championship and gold medal. Catchings averaged 8.8 points per game. Catchings was named as one of the National team members to represent the USA Basketball team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball. This game replaces the normal WNBA All-Star game with WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball, as part of the preparation for the FIBA World Championship for Women to be held in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

during September and October 2010. Catchings was one of 21 finalists for the U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team Roster. The 20 professional women's basketball players, plus one collegiate player (

Brittney Griner Brittney Yevette Griner (; born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's natio ...

), were selected by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster which will represent the US at the 2012 Olympics in London. She was selected for the final roster, and was part of the US team that won the gold medal. In the 2016 Summer Olympics, Catchings played for Team USA and earned her fourth olympic gold medal as they beat Spain 101–72.

Overseas career

Catchings played her first year overseas during the WNBA offseason in 2003, she played in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

for Asan Woori Bank Wibee. In the 2005–06 off-season, Catchings played for Spartak Moscow in the Russian League. Catchings would once again play in South Korea for Chuncheon Woori Bank Hansae in the 2006 and 2007 off-seasons. In the 2008–09 off-season, Catchings played in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

for

Lotos VBW Clima Gdynia Arka Gdynia is a Polish professional women's basketball club. It was founded in 1946 in the city of Gdańsk as Spójnia Gdańsk. In 1992 the club moved from Gdańsk to Gdynia and changed the name to Bałtyk Gdynia. Then it changed its name several ...

and would play two consecutive off-seasons in the Turkish League from 2009 to 2011 for Galatasaray. In Catchings's first season with Galatasaray, she played with then Indiana Fever teammate, Katie Douglas.

Life after basketball

In January 2017, it was announced that Catchings will serve as a game analyst for Women's Basketball Games on SEC Network. In February 2017, Catchings purchased a tea shop, ''Tea's Me Cafe'' from the previous owners on the near north side of

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

that she had been frequenting while playing for the Indiana Fever. In April 2017, Catchings was named Director of Player Programs and Franchise Development for Pacers Sports & Entertainment. Catchings competed in the Baltimore qualifying round of Season 11 of '' American Ninja Warrior''. The episode aired on NBC on July 1, 2019. Catchings previously served as the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager for the Indiana Fever.

Philanthropy and activism

In 2004, Catchings founded the ''Catch the Stars Foundation'', a charitable organization that provides basketball camps, fitness clinics, mentoring and literacy programs for underprivileged children to help them become successful in sports and academics. Catchings advocates in support of the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

movement and against

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to ...

and gun violence. Before the Olympics in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, she and Carmelo Anthony, an NBA athlete, attended a town meeting in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

to discuss violence committed by and to police officers. She and her teammates decided to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem to protest infringements upon human rights. At another game, she and her teammates, along with members of two other teams, were fined $500 per player and $5000 per team for wearing warm up shirts that read "#BlackLivesMatter" and "# Dallas5", in reference to violence by and against police officers.

Personal life

Catchings is the daughter of former NBA player

Harvey Catchings Harvey Lee Catchings (born September 2, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 to 1985 as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks ...

. Her sister Tauja also played basketball at Stevenson and the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Uni ...

, was drafted by the WNBA and now plays in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

. Tamika's cousin Bobby is a starting forward for

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

's basketball team. Tamika majored in Sports Management at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th sta ...

. Catchings helped Stevenson High School to Illinois's IHSA Div. AA State Championship in her Sophomore year in 1995 under head coach Frank Mattucci before moving to Texas. During her sophomore year at Stevenson she won Illinois Ms. Basketball (at the time she was the youngest player to have won the award). In addition to leading Duncanville High to the state basketball title in her senior season (she played only two years at Duncanville after moving from the Chicago area), she also led the volleyball team to its only state title as a junior. Catchings was born hard of hearing; she wore a hearing aid as a young girl. In 2000, she was honored with the Reynolds Society Achievement Award by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. On June 24, 2008, Catchings was awarded the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award for her work in the Indianapolis community with her Catch the Stars foundation. Catchings refereed a game of 3-on-3 basketball played by

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

along with local students from Kokomo, Indiana at the Maple Crest Middle School on April 25, 2008. Fever teammate Alison Bales also played on Obama's team. In February 2016, Catchings married Parnell Smith, a former basketball player for the University at Buffalo. The couple first met in July 2014 through a mutual friend. Catchings is also a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

. She had opened up about her faith in an interview by saying "God is definitely my Savior. He's the one that walks beside me through my ups and downs and the one that keeps me focused on where I am going in life. He protects me. He provides for me. He guides me and he leads me".

Awards and achievements

*2011

WNBA MVP The Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season -- 1997. MVP voting takes place immediately following the regular s ...

* 2012

WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award The Women's National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season. During the first four years of the league, the Houston Come ...

* Ten-time WNBA All-Star Selection; appeared in nine All-Star Games. She has sole possession of the record for most appearances and selections. * Six-time

All-WNBA Team The All-WNBA Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every season. The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States ...

* The first of three recorded Quintuple-double with Duncanville High School (Duncanville, Texas) with 25 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals and 10 blocks in 1997. * WBCBL Professional Basketball Trailblazer Award * WKBL (South Korea League) 2003 Winter League, 2003 Summer League, 2006 Winter League Finals MVP * 2010— Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award * 2013— Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award * 2016— Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award * 2016—awarded a star (#37) on The Flag for Hope on May 9, 2016, in recognition of her outstanding basketball career and philanthropic efforts. * 2020 -

Inductee

References

External links

*
Tamika Catchings's Official websiteWKBL.or.kr Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catchings, Tamika 1979 births Living people African-American basketball players African-American Christians All-American college women's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Poland American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American Ninja Warrior contestants American women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Illinois Basketball players from New Jersey Basketball players from Texas Deaf people from the United States Deaf basketball players Galatasaray S.K. (women's basketball) players Guangdong Vermilion Birds players Indiana Fever draft picks Indiana Fever players Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) People from Duncanville, Texas People from Lincolnshire, Illinois People from Stratford, New Jersey Small forwards Sportspeople from Camden County, New Jersey Sportspeople from the Chicago metropolitan area Sportspeople from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars Women's National Basketball Association general managers Duncanville High School alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American women United States women's national basketball team players