Indiana’s Tamika Catchings Named
WNBA Player of the Week

NEW YORK, JUNE 20 – Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever was named the WNBA Player of the Week for her play in helping Indiana win two of its three games this week. It is the sixth WNBA Player of the Week honor for Catchings.

Catchings, a two-time WNBA All-Star, started the week with a 20-point effort in Indiana’s 84-79 win over Detroit last Wednesday. Catchings also had a career-high 16 rebounds, eight assists and collected six steals in the victory over the Shock. Catchings’ steal with 1.1 seconds remaining helped the Fever secure a 60-57 victory over Charlotte last Thursday night. She also scored 12 points with four assists and four rebounds against the Sting. Catchings finished the week by scoring 20 points, pulling down 15 rebounds and tallying six assists in Indiana’s 88-78 loss to Washington on Saturday.

Catchings, whose play has helped Indiana post a 7-4 record, is the only player in the WNBA who is ranked in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. She is currently ninth in scoring (15.1), fifth in rebounding (7.5), third in steals (2.36) and sixth in assists (4.7).

Other candidates for WNBA Player of the Week were Charlotte’s Allison Feaster, Connecticut’s Nykesha Sales, Detroit’s Deanna Nolan, Houston’s Sheryl Swoopes, Phoenix’s Kamila Vodichkova, Sacramento’s Nicole Powell, San Antonio’s Wendy Palmer-Daniel, and Washington’s Temeka Johnson.
The WNBA tipped off its ninth season on Saturday, May 21, 2005 under the leadership of new President Donna Orender. In 2004, for the sixth consecutive season, more than two million fans attended WNBA games. Also in 2004, three consecutive WNBA Finals sellout crowds witnessed the Seattle Storm defeat the Connecticut Sun to capture its first WNBA Championship. WNBA programming is broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NBA-TV.