Tamika Catchings

Early life and college career

Catchings was born in New Jersey. She lived in Italy for one year while her father Harvey Catchings played professional basketball for Segafredo Gorizia, during which time she befriended Kobe Bryant. She played for both Adlai E. Stevenson High School and 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-American with the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball 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 "Three Meeks" with Semeka Randall and Chamique Holdsclaw.

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 sustained during her senior year at Tennessee, she had an outstanding year in 2002 and was named WNBA Rookie of the Year 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, Catchings had tied a then WNBA record, 9 steals (which has since been broken by Ticha Penicheiro). 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 fourth 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, 2010 and 2012.

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 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.

WNBA career statistics

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 Chetumal, Mexico 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 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. 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, 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 and Karlovy Vary, 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, Diana Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen, 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.

Overseas career

Catchings played her first year overseas during the WNBA offseason in 2003, she played in South Korea 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 for Lotos VBW Clima Gdynia 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 that she had been frequenting while playing for the Indiana Fever. The store expanded to three locations and in-store sales by 2023.

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 from 2020 to 2022.

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 movement and against police brutality and gun violence. Before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she and Carmelo Anthony, an NBA athlete, attended a town meeting in Los Angeles 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. Her sister Tauja also played basketball at Stevenson and the University of Illinois, was drafted by the WNBA and now plays in Sweden. Tamika's cousin Bobby is a starting forward for Eastern Illinois University's basketball team. Tamika majored in Sports Management at the University of Tennessee.

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 is hearing impaired. While living in Abilene, Texas, as a third grader, she lost her hearing aids by throwing them into a field while walking home from school; her parents, unwilling and financially unable to replace the hearing aids, told her to learn to live without them. Catchings did not resume using hearing aids until shortly before her first season at Tennessee, when head coach Pat Summitt encouraged her to do so. 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 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. 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". She became an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 2023.

Awards and achievements

2011 WNBA MVP

2012 WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

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 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 – Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee

2024 – Kevin R. Armstrong Ethical Leadership Award (University of Indianapolis) Inaugural Recipient