Tamika Catchings
Hall of Fame WNBA Player and Motivational/Inspirational Speaker
Tamika Catchings, Indiana’s “do-everything” forward, completed 16 seasons in the WNBA before stepping away following the 2016 season. Her naming as recipient of the first ESPN Humanitarian Award in 2015 and a 14-year run of community service by her Catch the Stars Foundation are a testament to her work off the court.
Since her playing retirement, Catchings serves as director of player programs and franchise development with Pacers Sports & Entertainment. She operates the Tea’s Me Café in Indianapolis, serves on a developmental committee with USA Basketball and as an ambassador with the NBA and WNBA. She is also an SEC ESPN Women’s Basketball Analyst.
In March 2016, Catchings released an autobiographical story, “Catch A Star: Shining through Adversity to Become a Champion” sharing her story of overcoming hearing loss, separation from family, high expectations and the pain of debilitating physical injuries. She reached for the stars with hard work, perseverance and her faith in God.
On the court, Catchings’ legacy is cemented as one of the greatest women ever to play the game and the first man or woman in recorded basketball history to record a quintuple-double (Duncanville High School in 1997). Her leadership, tenacity and all-around skills led the Indiana Fever to becoming one of the WNBA’s elite franchises.
She was the WNBA’s only player ever to spend an entire career of 16 or more seasons with the same franchise.