Tamika Catchings facts for kids

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Tamika Catchings

Catchings in 2011
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Personal information
Born	(1979-07-21) July 21, 1979 (age 45) Stratford, New Jersey, U.S.
High school	Adlai E. Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Illinois) Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	167 lb (76 kg)
Career information
College	Tennessee (1997–2001)
NBA Draft	2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Indiana Fever
Pro career	2002–2016
League	WNBA
Career history
2002–2016	Indiana Fever
2003	Chuncheon Woori Bank Hansae
2005–2006	Spartak Moscow
2006–2007	Chuncheon Woori Bank Hansae
2008–2009	Lotos Gdynia
2009–2011	Galatasaray
Career highlights and awards
WNBA champion (2012) WNBA Finals MVP (2012) WNBA MVP (2011) 10× WNBA All-Star (2002, 2003, 2005–2007, 2009, 2011, 2013–2015) 7× All-WNBA First Team (2002, 2003, 2006, 2009–2012) 5× All-WNBA Second Team (2004, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015) 5× WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012) 10× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2005–2013, 2015) 2× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014, 2016) 8× WNBA steals leader (2002, 2005–2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016) WNBA Rookie of the Year (2002) WNBA 10th Anniversary Team (2006) WNBA 15th Anniversary Team (2011) WNBA 20th Anniversary Team (2016) WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021) Indiana Fever No. 24 retired WNBA all-time steals leader WNBA playoffs all-time leading scorer WNBA playoffs all-time rebounding leader WNBA playoffs all-time steals leader 3× Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award (2010, 2013, 2016) 2x Dawn Staley Leadership Award (2008, 2016) Polish National League champion (2009) 2× Turkish Cup winner (2010, 2011) NCAA champion (1998) AP Player of the Year (2000) Naismith College Player of the Year (2000) USBWA National Player of the Year (2000) WBCA Player of the Year (2000) 2x First-team All-American – AP (1999, 2000) 2x Second-team All-American – AP (1998, 2001) 4x Kodak All-American (1998–2001) 3x All-American – USBWA (1999–2001) Second-team All-SEC (2001) 3x First-team All-SEC (1998–2000) USBWA National Freshman of the Year (1998) SEC Freshman of the Year (1998) SEC All-Freshman Team (1998)
Career WNBA statistics
Points	7,380 (16.1 ppg)
Rebounds	3,315 (7.3 rpg)
Assists	1,488 (3.3 apg)
Medals Women's basketball Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team Gold 2008 Beijing Team Gold 2012 London Team Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team World Championship Gold 2002 China Gold 2010 Czech Republic Bronze 2006 Brazil

Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player. She played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Many people think Catchings is one of the greatest female basketball players ever. She has won many awards, including a WNBA championship in 2012. She also won the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2011 and the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2012.

Catchings won five WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards. She also earned four Olympic gold medals with Team USA. She was the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2002. Before joining the WNBA, she won an NCAA championship with the University of Tennessee Lady Vols in 1998. Tamika is one of only 11 women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup gold, and a WNBA Championship. She was chosen for ten WNBA All-Star teams. She also made 12 All-WNBA teams and 12 All-Defensive teams. She led the league in steals eight times. Fans voted her as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time in 2011. She was also named to the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016 and The W25 in 2021.

Catchings was the President of the WNBA Players Association from 2012 to 2016. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Early Life and College Basketball

Tamika Catchings was born in New Jersey. She lived in Italy for a year when she was young. Her father, Harvey Catchings, played professional basketball there. During that time, she became friends with Kobe Bryant. Tamika played basketball in high school at both Adlai E. Stevenson High School and Duncanville High School. She was named a WBCA All-American. She also made history by being the first player to officially record a quintuple-double. This means she had double-digit numbers in five different stats in one game: 25 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals, and 10 blocks.

Catchings was an All-American player for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball from 1997 to 2001. In 2000, she won several top college awards. These included the Naismith College Player of the Year award and the AP Player of the Year award. As a freshman, she was part of the undefeated 1997–98 team that won the National Championship. She was known as one of the "Three Meeks" with Semeka Randall and Chamique Holdsclaw.

College Statistics

Here are Tamika Catchings' college basketball statistics:

Source

WNBA Career Highlights

The Indiana Fever picked Tamika Catchings third overall in the 2001 WNBA draft. She couldn't play in 2001 because of a knee injury. But in 2002, she had an amazing year. She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year, averaging 18.6 points per game. She quickly made a big impact on the Fever team. In her rookie season, she tied a WNBA record with 9 steals in one game. The Fever made it to the playoffs that year. Catchings played very well, averaging 20.3 points per game in the playoffs.

In 2003, Catchings had her best season, averaging 19.7 points per game. In 2005, she reached 2,000 points in the WNBA. She was the fourth fastest player to reach this goal. She was also the fastest to reach 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, and 300 steals. Catchings was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2012.

In 2006, Catchings was chosen for the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game. She was the top vote-getter, but couldn't play due to a foot injury. She was also named to the WNBA's All-Decade Team. In 2011, fans voted her as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history.

In 2008, the Fever added Katie Douglas to play alongside Catchings. They formed a strong duo. In 2009, the Fever made it to the WNBA finals for the first time with Catchings. They lost a close series to the Phoenix Mercury.

In 2011, Catchings won the WNBA Most Valuable Player award. She averaged 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. The Fever finished first in their conference. However, they lost in the Eastern Conference finals.

In 2012, the Fever made it back to the finals. They faced the Minnesota Lynx and won the series 3-1. This made the Indiana Fever only the second team from the Eastern Conference to win a WNBA title. Catchings scored 25 points in the final game and won the WNBA Finals MVP.

In 2014, Catchings became the WNBA's all-time leading playoff scorer. She also passed Lisa Leslie for the most career playoff rebounds. The Fever made it to the Conference Finals but lost.

In October 2014, Catchings announced she would retire after the 2016 Summer Olympics. She said she wanted to move on to what God had planned for her after basketball. In 2015, she was voted a WNBA All-Star for the 10th time, setting a new record. The Fever reached the finals again but lost to the Minnesota Lynx.

In 2016, Catchings became the WNBA all-time leader in regular season rebounds. Her final WNBA game was on September 21, 2016, in a playoff loss. She scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in her last game.

When she retired, Catchings was:

• 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.
• 1st in career steals per game average.

She also holds the WNBA record for most consecutive playoff appearances, with 12 straight seasons. She played in 3 WNBA finals.

WNBA Career Statistics

Here are Tamika Catchings' WNBA career statistics:

†	Denotes seasons in which Catchings won a WNBA championship
	WNBA record

Regular Season

Postseason

Playing for Team USA

Catchings was a key player for the USA women's basketball team. She helped the team win gold medals at four different Summer Olympic Games:

• 2004 Athens
• 2008 Beijing
• 2012 London
• 2016 Rio de Janeiro

She also won two gold medals at the World Championship in 2002 and 2010. She earned a bronze medal in 2006. Her success with Team USA shows how important she was to international basketball.

Life After Playing Basketball

After retiring from playing, Tamika Catchings stayed involved in basketball and her community.

• In 2017, she became a game analyst for Women's Basketball Games on SEC Network.
• In February 2017, she bought a tea shop called Tea's Me Cafe in Indianapolis. She used to visit the shop often when she played for the Fever. The shop has grown to three locations.
• In April 2017, Catchings was named Director of Player Programs and Franchise Development for Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
• She even competed on Season 11 of American Ninja Warrior in 2019.
• From 2020 to 2022, Catchings served as the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager for the Indiana Fever.

Helping Others and Activism

In 2004, Tamika Catchings started the Catch the Stars Foundation. This charity helps children who don't have many opportunities. It offers basketball camps, fitness clinics, and programs for mentoring and reading. The goal is to help kids do well in sports and school.

Catchings also supports the Black Lives Matter movement. She speaks out against police brutality and gun violence. Before the 2016 Olympics, she and NBA player Carmelo Anthony talked about violence involving police officers. She and her teammates decided to kneel during the National Anthem to protest human rights issues.

At another game, she and her teammates wore warm-up shirts that said "#BlackLivesMatter" and "#Dallas5". This was to show support for victims of violence. The players and teams were fined for wearing these shirts.

Personal Life

Tamika Catchings is the daughter of Harvey Catchings, a former NBA player. Her sister Tauja also played basketball professionally. Tamika studied Sports Management at the University of Tennessee.

Catchings helped Stevenson High School win a state championship in 1995. She also led Duncanville High to a state title in her senior year.

Tamika is hearing impaired. When she was young, she stopped using her hearing aids for a while. Her college coach, Pat Summitt, encouraged her to start using them again. In 2000, she received an award for her achievements from a medical organization. In 2008, she won the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award for her work with her Catch the Stars foundation.

Catchings even refereed a 3-on-3 basketball game played by Barack Obama in 2008.

In February 2016, Catchings married Parnell Smith, who also played basketball. Tamika is a Christian. She has spoken about her faith, saying that God guides her through life. In 2023, she became an honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Awards and Achievements

Catchings waving at the WNBA Top 20@20 ring ceremony. WNBA president Lisa Borders at left

• 2011 WNBA MVP
• 2012 WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
• Ten-time WNBA All-Star Selection; she holds the record for most appearances.
• Six-time All-WNBA Team selection.
• First player in history to record a Quintuple-double in high school (25 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals, 10 blocks) in 1997.
• WBCBL Professional Basketball Trailblazer Award.
• Won MVP awards in the Korean Basketball League (WKBL) in 2003 and 2006.
• Won the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award three times (2010, 2013, 2016).
• Awarded a star on The Flag for Hope in 2016 for her basketball career and charity work.
• Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
• First person to receive the Kevin R. Armstrong Ethical Leadership Award from the University of Indianapolis in 2024.

In Spanish: Tamika Catchings para niños