TamikaCatchings

Position
Forward
Height
6-1
Weight
167 lbs
Birthdate
Jul 21, 1979
College/Country
Tennessee/USA
Draft
2001 Rnd 1 Pick 3
EXP
16 years
24
Tamika Catchings headshot
PPG
16.1
RPG
7.3
APG
3.3

About Tamika

Position: Forward

WNBA Years: 15

Height: 6-1

Weight: 167

Born: July 21, 1979 in Stratford, New Jersey

High School: Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)

College: Tennessee ‘01

Drafted: By Indiana, first round, 2001 WNBA Draft (3rd overall)

Indiana’s “do-everything” forward has completed 15 seasons in the WNBA, and although she intends to step away from her future-hall-of-fame-career following the 2016 season, perhaps her greatest impact has been made off the floor. Her naming as recipient of the very first ESPN Humanitarian Award in 2015 and an 11-year run of community service by her Catch The Stars Foundation are testament to her work off the court.

In March 2016, Catchings will release an autobiographical story written by Ken Petersen with a Foreword by Tony Dungy. Catch A Star: Shining through Adversity to Become a Champion tells Catchings’ story of overcoming. She faced being set apart by her hearing loss, separation from family, high expectations and the pain of debilitating physical injury. She reached for the stars with hard work, perseverance and her faith in God. Through the silence, she found a way to shine.

On the court, Catchings’ legacy is already cemented as one of the greatest women ever to play the game. She will enter the 2016 WNBA season as the league’s No. 2 scorer (6,947 points) and rebounder (3,153) of all-time, already its career leader in free throws (1,898) and steals (1,012). In postseason play, nobody has appeared in as many WNBA Playoff games (67) as Catchings, or started as many (66). She also is the WNBA postseason leader in points (1,128), rebounds (588), free throws (351), steals (149), double-doubles (26) and minutes played (2,280). She is second in postseason assists (223), fourth in blocked shots (62) and fifth in 3-point field goals (81).

Catchings enters the 2016 season as the WNBA’s active leader in points, rebounds, steals and free throws.

She earned WNBA Finals MVP honors while leading the Fever to the 2012 WNBA championship. A year earlier, in 2011, she captured her first regular-season MVP honor.
The first man or woman in recorded basketball history to record a quintuple-double (Duncanville High School in 1997), Catchings’ leadership, tenacity and all-around skills have led the Indiana Fever to becoming one of the WNBA’s elite franchises. The Fever have reached the playoffs 12 times in Catchings’ 14 active seasons, including a current WNBA-record run of 11-in-a-row. The Fever reached the conference finals eight times, including five straight seasons. The Fever won a WNBA championship in 2012 and came within one game of two more championships in five-game WNBA Finals appearances in 2009 and 2015. Catchings has played in every playoff game in Fever history.

Among her All-Star peers, Catchings is the leading scorer in WNBA All-Star Game history, and the only player to appear in 10 WNBA All-Star Games. She actually has been voted to 11 All-Star Games, including the 2006 season in which she was the league’s top vote-getter, but missed the game due to injury.

Catchings is the WNBA’s only player ever to spend an entire career of 16 or more seasons with the same franchise. Embarking on her 15th active season (not counting 2001) with the Fever, Catchings joins an elite list of NBA counterparts with as many seasons of an entire career playing with the same team: Kobe Bryant (19), John Stockton (19), Tim Duncan (18), Reggie Miller (18), Dirk Nowitzki (17), John Havlicek (16), Hal Greer (15), Tony Parker (15). Elgin Baylor (14), Joe Dumars (14), David Robinson (14) and Jerry West (14) all played 14 years with their respective teams.

In Fall 2014, Catchings announced her intentions to retire following the 2016 WNBA season which coincides with the Summer Olympics in August 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Catchings hopes to join an elite club with Teresa Edwards and Lisa Leslie who are currently the only American basketball players, male or female, to earn four Olympic gold medals. A three-time Olympic gold medalist for the United States, she won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece; the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China and the 2012 Games in London where she served as a U.S. tri-captain alongside Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.

A telling note of durability is that Catchings has played at least 30 games in 11 of her 14 active seasons. In 2012, at age 33, Catchings was the only WNBA player to start every regular season (34) and playoff game (10), as well as every game in the Olympics (8). In 2015, at age 36, Catchings defied expectations with 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in 30 regular season starts, followed by an improbable playoff run that included averages of 15.5 points and 6.9 rebounds through a league-record 11 playoff games. Her 47 percent 3-point shooting in the 2015 playoffs was the best of her career.

Universally liked by fans, media, coaches and fellow players, she has twice been named the winner of the WNBA’s Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. She won it outright in 2010 and shared the honor with Chicago’s Swin Cash in 2013.

She was named the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, receiving the award an unprecedented five times – in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2012. Catchings was second in WNBA MVP balloting in 2002, 2009 and 2010, and has finished among the top three in balloting for the WNBA MVP Award in seven of her 14 active pro seasons. She has finished among the top five in MVP balloting in 10 of 14 active seasons, asserting herself as one of the world’s premier players. She has scored in 421 of 423 games played in her pro career. She is a 11-time WNBA All-Star and a 12-time All-WNBA recipient. She has earned WNBA Player of the Week honors 22 times, more than any player in league history.

She has averaged 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game during her career. Catchings led the Fever in points per game, rebounds, assists and steals in each of her first six active pro seasons and again in 2010 and 2011 – no other WNBA player has led her team in as many categories in even one of those seasons.

Catchings became the WNBA’s all-time leader in steals during the 2011 season and she emerged from the 2012 season as the league’s all-time leader in free throws made. She is the only player in WNBA history to rank among Top 25 all-time leaders in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks – and Catchings actually ranks in the Top 12 in all of them: points (6,947, 2nd), rebounds (3,153, 2nd), assists (1,422, 7th), steals (1,012, 1st) and blocks (375, 11th. She also ranks among WNBA career leaders in free throws made (1,898, 1st) and 3-point field goals made (571, 9th. She is the only player 6-feet or taller ranked among Top 10 WNBA assist leaders. She averages more steals per game (2.39) than any player in WNBA history with more than two seasons. Catchings owns four of the top five single-season steals figures in league history and in 2009 finished just one shy of Teresa Weatherspoon’s league record of 100 in a season (94 in 2006; 94 in 2002; 90 in 2005; 99 in 2009). A member of the WNBA’s 10th Anniversary All-Decade Team, awarded in 2006, she is the only player in WNBA history to ever rank in the league’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots in the same season. Catchings, though, has done it twice – in 2002 and 2006. She has posted double-doubles in nearly one-fourth of her professional games (96-of-423), now third in WNBA history.

She has become a frequent nominee for “best women’s basketball player” during the ESPY Awards and she was one of five nominees for Cartoon Network’s “She’s Got Game Award,” honoring five notable female athletes for 2013 Hall of Game Awards.

Off the court, Catchings is one of the country’s most highly-regarded citizen-athletes…on Jan. 18, 2016, she became the first female recipient of the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award, in Memphis, alongside Spencer Haywood and Jalen Rose she was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame on April 28, 2015. On April 26, 2014, Indy Parks and Recreation dedicated Tamika Catchings Court, in Thatcher Park on Indy’s west side, in honor of her good works. In 2013, she served on a mentoring panel at the White House to honor Women’s History Month, speaking with other female luminaries to a group of high school students. She was named by Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton to serve on the U.S. Department of State’s Council to Empower Women and Girls Through Sports. Serving in that capacity with the State Department, she has traveled to Bangkok, Thailand and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. to engage girls and women in sports. Since the 2012-13 college season, she has been a National Ambassador for the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team, honoring college women’s basketball stars who do good work in their communities. Catchings was the 2012 Honoree for the Pacers Foundation and Simon Youth Foundation Masquerade Gala and prior to the 2013 season, the Catch The Stars Foundation was honored by the Indianapolis City-County Council.

In 2012 alone, she was a spokesperson for Indy’s Super Cure, a community initiative of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee to aid in research and donation of healthy breast tissue; she was named an NBA/WNBA ambassador for Sanofi’s “Dribble to Stop Diabetes” campaign; she was named to serve on the board of trustees of the Women’s Sports Foundation; and appeared with First Lady Michelle Obama in Des Moines, Iowa, as part of Obama’s “Let’s Move Tour,” geared toward solving the problem of childhood obesity.

In 2011, she was voted a Top 5 Finalist for the United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award and one of ten “Dream Team for Public Service” finalists for the Jefferson
Award for outstanding service by an athlete. She was invited to President George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address in 2004 and was named a finalist for the 2006 Wooden Citizenship Cup, presented annually to the nation’s top professional athlete who exhibits outstanding community service. She was the 2008 female recipient of the Rotary Club of Tulsa Henry P. Iba Citizen-Athlete Award. She was the first recipient of the WNBA’s Dawn Staley Leadership Award, presented in 2008 to the player who best exemplifies the characteristics of a leader in the community and reflects Staley’s leadership, spirit, charitable efforts and love for the game. Catchings is the current president of the WNBA Players Association.

PRO – WNBA

2015: Catchings started 30 games while averaging 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in her 14th active WNBA season…she reached double-figure scoring 24 times and was named to her WNBA-record 10th All-Star Game…Catchings scored a season-high 27 points against Phoenix, 6/12, and posted a season-best 13 rebounds at Tulsa, 8/30…twice, she had season highs of five steals…against Los Angeles, 8/26, she became the first player in WNBA history to record 1,000 steals…against Phoenix, 8/16, she moved into second-place on the league’s career rebounding ladder, passing Tina Thompson…in overtime against Connecticut, 7/28, she passed Diana Taurasi as the league’s No. 2 scorer of all-time…Catchings was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, 7/5, following a 26-point, 10-rebound effort at Washington, 7/2…she played her 400th career game in the WNBA, at Connecticut, 6/30…she was awarded the inaugural Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award presented by ESPN and PlayStation, 7/14.

2014: Catchings started all 16 games in which she played, averaging 16.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest…she was named second team WNBA All-Defense and earned Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors for the month of August…Catchings scored 12 of her season-high 29 points in the first quarter at New York, 8/10…the star forward connected on 11-of-19 from the floor, including a season-high 4 3-pointers and was three points shy of tying her career high scoring mark…she dished a season-high four assists in the win…Catchings did not play during the preseason or in any of the Fever’s first 17 regular season games due to precautionary measures with a sore back.

2013: Catchings started all 30 games in which she played, leading the team in points per game (17.7) and finishing second in assists per game (2.4)…she posted double-doubles in three of four games from Aug. 24 to Sept. 6, missing four straight by a single rebound…she was named the East Player of the Week on Sept. 2, the WNBA-leading 20th player of the week award of her career…she stuffed the box score with 17 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and four blocks against Chicago, 8/3, recording the 85th double-double of her career…Catchings became the first player in league history to rank among the top 10 career leaders in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks…she became the No. 4 scorer in WNBA history while scoring 23 points at Tulsa, 7/25, while also adding nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals…on her 34th birthday, she overcame a bloodied nose to record the 84th double-double of her career at Washington, 7/21, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds while adding six assists and three steals, resulting in East Player of the Week honors…she returned from a lower back injury to score a season-high 28 points against Tulsa, 6/28, finishing 9-of-18 from the floor while adding five rebounds, three assists, six steals and four blocked shots…her six steals against Tulsa, 6/28, matched her season high from 2012 while her four blocks in the same game were her highest figure since a career high five against Charlotte in 2006.

2012: In 34 starts, Catchings averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game…she was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year for the fifth-time in her career…she was named to the All-WNBA First-Team for the seventh time…she was third in WNBA MVP voting, with statistics better than in her 2011 MVP season…she was named to the WNBA All-Defensive First-Team for the eighth time in her career…she finished eighth in the WNBA for scoring, sixth in rebounds and fifth in steals…she became the second player in WNBA history, joining Katie Douglas, with 500 3-point field goals and 500 steals in her career…she posted 10 double-doubles in 34 games…she recorded eight games with 20 points or more, including a career-high six 3-pointers and season-high 31 points vs. Connecticut, 6/8…Catchings earned four Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards, the most of any season in her career, and also was the East’s player of the month for August.

2011: The WNBA’s Most Valuable Player started in 33 games before missing the final game of the regular season…she averaged 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game…her seventh point vs. the Liberty, 8/13, was the 5,000 of her career, becoming the sixth in league history to reach that mark…she matched a career-high with 32 points and was 17-of-19 from the foul line in that game…she set Fever records for free throws made and attempted the same night…she became the first player in WNBA history to score 5,000 points, have 2,000 rebounds, and dish 1,000 assists…she recorded a season-high 15 rebounds at Connecticut 6/17…she ranked fourth in the WNBA in steals and became the league’s all-time leader on 7/9 vs. Washington, passing Ticha Penicheiro…she had a season-high six thefts in that game, including a WNBA-record tying five in the fourth period…she posted four double-doubles in 33 games…in addition to being named WNBA MVP, she was named to the All-WNBA First Team and the WNBA All-Defensive Team…she had a string of 114 consecutive starts snapped by a bruised knee, three starts away from the franchise record.

2010: The WNBA’s MVP runner-up for a second straight season, Catchings posted perhaps the finest year of her career… an 18.2-point scoring average was her best since 2003 and her 48.4 percent shooting clip easily the best of her career…she shot a career-high 44.8 percent from the 3-point stripe and led the WNBA in steals (77) for the fourth time…she recorded a season-high 30 points during a 95-93 win over eventual East champion Atlanta, 8/6…she posted eight double-doubles in 34 games and twice was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week…in addition to being named to the All-WNBA First Team and WNBA All-Defensive Team, she received the league’s Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award…Catchings represented the USA in the Stars at the Sun midseason classic featuring stars of the WNBA against the USA Basketball National Team, preparing for the World Championships.

2009: The WNBA’s MVP runner-up started in all 34 games…she averaged 15.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.9 steals per game…Catchings won her third WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award and was only one steal from tying the WNBA record for most steals in a season (100)…she was also named to the All-WNBA First Team and the WNBA All-Defensive Team…with teammate Katie Douglas, Catchings was an All-Star starter…she led the team in rebounds, steals and assists, and was second in scoring…Catchings shot .873 from the free-throw line while leading the WNBA in free throws made…she was sixth in the WNBA with seven double-doubles…Catchings had six steals in a game five different times.

2008: In an abbreviated season due to injury and rehabilitation, Catchings started 17 games in 25 appearances…she averaged 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game…she scored in double-digits in 17 of 25 appearances, and scored 20 points or more in five out of six games during the final stretch of the regular season…she posted identical double-doubles (20 points, 10 rebounds) in back-to-back games at Detroit, 9/5, and Atlanta, 9/8, to open the month of September…despite a shortened season, she still was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Team for the fourth straight season…her 1.96 steals per game was fifth in the league…Catchings shot a career-best 43.2 percent from behind the arc in 2008, second-best on the team and fourth in the WNBA.

2007: Catchings averaged 16.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.1 steals per game while starting in all 21 of her appearances…she was having perhaps the best season of her career, including career-high averages in rebounds and assists before she injured her left foot (partially torn plantar fascia) vs. Detroit, 7/20…she missed the final 13 games of the regular season…the Fever was 5-8 in her absence…she was named All-WNBA second team and was a first-team selection to the WNBA All-Defensive team for the third straight season…she posted a season-high 26 points to go with 14 rebounds in a win at Detroit, 6/16…she had a season-high 15 rebounds one night earlier against Phoenix, 6/15…she had 22 points, 13 rebounds and six assists to go with two steals in 37 minutes vs. Chicago, 7/18…the game vs. the Sky represented her seventh double-double of the season and the 50th of her career…despite missing 13 games, she led the WNBA in steals for a third consecutive season.

2006: Catchings averaged 16.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg, to go with a league-leading 2.94 spg to earn her second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year Award…she earned First Team All-WNBA honors, and was named at midseason to the WNBA’s 10th Anniversary All-Decade Team…she was the leading vote-getter for the WNBA All-Star Game, but was unable to play due to a heel injury…she scored a season-high 30 points, snared nine rebounds with three assists and three steals in an overtime win at New York, 6/13…in the same game, she broke a 78-78 tie on a jump shot with just one tenth of a second left in overtime…Catchings was named the WNBA Player of the Week for the ninth time in her career, as she was honored for the week ending 7/30…she scored 20+ points nine times and scored in double figures in all but four games, including each of the last 17…her 165 FT and 204 FTA both were second in the WNBA…she topped the league in steals with 94, which tied her own mark for the second-highest figure in WNBA history…she helped the Fever to a total of 355 steals, the highest figure by a team in WNBA history…she missed two games early in the season (at Houston, 5/31, and at Minnesota, 6/2) due to a sprained right arch – they were the first games she had missed in her WNBA career.

2005: Catchings started all 34 games and led the Fever to the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 14.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 4.2 apg and 2.6 spg…she was named the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the WNBA All-Defensive First Team…she led the league with 90 steals while no other player in the WNBA had more than 67 thefts…she finished with a club record 143 assists in 2005…she had a season-best eight steals against Connecticut, 7/13…it was the most steals by any player in the WNBA in 2005…she tied a Fever record with three consecutive double-doubles, 7/26-7/31, and fell one rebound short of her fourth in a row vs. Seattle, 8/4…she led the WNBA with 193 free throws attempted and ranked second in the league with 152 free throws made…she set team single-game records for free throws made and attempted, shooting 15-17 vs. Phoenix, 5/24…she scored 20+ points a team-high 10 times, including a season-best 28 points vs. Phoenix, 5/24…she was named the WNBA Player of the Week three times, being so honored for the weeks ending 6/19, 7/17 and 8/21…she led the Fever in points, rebounds and assists in the same game 10 times…she set a franchise record with 10 offensive rebounds vs. Charlotte, 8/20…that was the most offensive rebounds by any player in the WNBA in 2005 and was two short of the league record.

2004: Highlighted by her gold medal appearance in the Olympics in August, Catchings appeared in all 34 games for the Fever and started in 33, missing a start only against San Antonio, 9/10, after sustaining a toe injury in practice…the missed start snapped a string of 96 consecutive starts dating to the opening game of 2002…she was named second team All-WNBA after leading the Fever in points (16.7), rebounds (7.3), assists (3.4), steals (2.0) and blocks (1.1)…she finished fifth in the WNBA in scoring, fourth in rebounds and fourth in steals per game…she recorded five double-doubles and scored in double figures in all but three games…she saved her best game for the season finale at Connecticut, 9/19, by scoring 30 points with nine rebounds, four assists and four steals…she shot 10-12 at the free throw line, and tallied 21 points in the second half…she was twice named the WNBA’s Player of the Week.

2003: For the second straight season, Catchings was the runner-up in balloting for the league’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Awards…she was named first team All-WNBA and was the leading scorer (17 points) in the WNBA All-Star Game, 7/14…she started and scored in all 34 games averaging 19.7 points per game, including an average of 22.0 during July and 20.0 during August…she twice matched her own franchise record by scoring 20+ points in four consecutive games…she had 10 games with double-figure points and rebounds…she matched a career scoring high with 32 points, and added a game-high 14 rebounds, in the Fever’s first-ever win at Madison Square Garden, 8/22…she had 25 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a double-overtime win at Connecticut, 6/26…she outdueled Chamique Holdsclaw and led the Fever to a pair of dramatic road wins at Washington, just five days apart in July…after scoring 29 points on 7/24, she added 30 points during a 92-91 overtime game, 7/29…Catchings’ spinning baseline floater off the glass as time expired overshadowed Holdsclaw’s apparent game-winning basket just seconds earlier, 7/29…she led the WNBA with 35.6 mpg…she finished second in the WNBA in steals and third in scoring.

2002: The WNBA Rookie of the Year, she was runner-up in voting for the league’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Awards…she became the first Fever player ever to be named to the All-WNBA First Team…she ranked in the WNBA’s top 10 in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks…in addition to being the only player in the WNBA to lead her team in points, rebounds and assists, she led the Fever in steals, blocked shots, minutes played and 3-pt FG…she led the team in scoring 21 times, rebounding 23 times and in assists 16 times…she led the WNBA in steals (2.94 spg)…she tied a WNBA record with nine steals against Minnesota, 7/26…she was the first Fever player to score 30+ points, scoring a team-record and career-high 32 points vs. New York, 6/8…she matched that total against Orlando, 8/7…she grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds against Charlotte, 8/3…she ranked second in the league in 3-pt FG with 76…her 193 attempts from long range led the league…she set a WNBA record by hitting all six of her 3-pt FG at Orlando, 7/3……she logged just 11 minutes after being elbowed in the nose by Miami’s Ruth Riley, 7/12…that elbow resulted in a broken nose, but she did not miss any games and was one of two Fever players to start all 32 games…the first Fever player to start a WNBA All-Star Game, she scored a team-high 12 points with nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and four blocked shots…those blocked shots tied the All-Star Game record.

2001: She did not play due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee suffered during her senior season at Tennessee…she tore cartilage (medial meniscus) in her right knee during the Fever’s practice in Houston, 7/5, and underwent surgery, 7/9.

PLAYOFFS

The WNBA’s all-time leader in postseason points, rebounds and steals, Catchings owns career playoff averages of 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game…she owns a double-double in nearly 40 percent of all playoff games, posting 26 double-doubles in 67 career playoff games (including 13 in 38 games the past six seasons)…she has appeared in every playoff game in Fever history and ranks among WNBA all-time playoff leaders in games played (1st, 67), games started (1st, 66), minutes played (1st, 2280), field goals made (1st, 348), 3-point field goals made (5th, 81), free throws made (1st, 351), rebounds (1st, 588), assists (2nd, 223), steals (1st, 149), blocks (4th, 62) and points (1st, 1128).

2015: In her 12th playoff berth in 14 seasons, Catchings led the Fever back to the WNBA Finals before falling in five games to eventual champ Minnesota…the 36-year-old Catchings averaged 16.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest while posting the best 3-point percentage of her postseason career, 47 percent…she was nearly flawless in a first-round triumph over Chicago, finishing with 27 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor and 8-of-8 at the foul stripe, with nine rebounds and six assists to help Indiana advance to the conference finals…she scored in double figures in 10 of 11 playoff games.

2014: In her 11th postseason appearance, Catchings tallied double-double efforts in three of five playoff games as Indiana fell one win shy of reaching its third WNBA Finals…during the five-game playoff run, she passed Lisa Leslie as the league’s all-time leader in playoff points and rebounds..she averaged 16.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in the playoffs…she posted 22 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff opener against Washington while securing 14-of-14 free throws and a career-high and WNBA playoffs-record seven steals…she had 26 points and 11 boards to help complete a two-game sweep of the Mystics, and later added 16 points with 14 boards in a Game 2 win over Chicago in the East Finals.

2013: Catchings started in all four Fever postseason games, averaging 13.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game…she recorded a double-double in the first-round series clinching win against Chicago, 9/22, scoring 18 points with 12 rebounds.

2012: The 2012 Finals MVP was one of two Fever players to start in all 10 Fever postseason games…she averaged team-highs of 19 points, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while also contributing 8.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists…she scored in double-digits in 9 of 10 playoffs games, including four double-doubles…her 25 points in Game 2 of the East semis at Atlanta included an 18-point fourth quarter that was one point shy of the WNBA scoring mark for a quarter…with Indiana facing elimination four times in the playoffs, Catchings responded each time – 25 points, 13 rebounds in Game 2 of the East semis and 16 points, 11 rebounds in Game 3…in Game 2 of the East Finals, she scored 21 points in a Game 2 win, and added 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Game 3 clincher at Connecticut…she scored 25 points in a WNBA Finals Game 4 victory that sealed the Fever’s championship…en route to Finals MVP honors, she averaged 22.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.3 blocks per game against the Lynx.

2011: Catchings started in five of the six Fever postseason games, averaging 10 points and 8.3 rebounds per game… in 35 minutes, Catchings scored 17 points in a Game 3 win over New York, 9/19, in the East Semis…she was injured in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals limiting her to only six points in a decisive Game 3 vs. Atlanta…Catchings scored 60 points in the postseason, moving her into seventh place on the WNBA’s all-time postseason scoring list.
2010: Catchings averaged 18.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in a three-game series against New York…she led the club with 18 points and six assists in a Game 1 loss at N.Y., 8/26…she led the Fever with 17 points and 13 rebounds in a Game 2 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse…she scored 21 points in a decisive Game 3 defeat.

2009: Catchings started in all 10 games, averaging 17.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game…among WNBA playoffs leaders, she ranked first in assists and steals per game, second in rebounds per game and fifth in blocks per game…Catchings had a WNBA leading five double-doubles in the postseason…in two games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Catchings averaged 25 points per game…in her first WNBA Finals appearance, Catchings averaged 16.2 points in five games with an eye-popping 9.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.…Catchings had one of her best games of the postseason against Washington, 9/19, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, registering 24 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, four steals and a playoff career-high four blocks…in Game 2 of Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit, 9/25, she had a playoff career-high six steals…she fell one rebound short of a triple-double in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals at Phoenix, 10/1, finishing with 19 points, a playoff career-high 11 assists, nine rebounds and two steals…Catchings was first on the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks during the postseason.

2008: In three games of the conference semifinals against Detroit, Catchings averaged 20.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and a steal per game. She posted 27 points in an overtime road win in Game 2.

2007: Playing for the first time since a mid-season injury, Catchings posted four consecutive double-doubles to lead the Fever into the Eastern Conference Finals…in Game 1, she played 46 minutes while scoring 14 points with 20 rebounds and seven assists in a triple-overtime loss at Connecticut, 8/23…it was the second-best rebounding figure in WNBA Playoffs history…she followed with 15 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in Game 2, 8/25, and 30 points and 13 boards in a decisive Game 3 overtime victory, 8/27…bringing the Fever back from a WNBA Playoffs-record 22-point deficit, she made 16 of 17 free throw attempts in Game 3, for the second-most free throws made in playoff history…in Game 1 of the Eastern Finals, she posted 22 points and 11 boards in a win over Detroit, 8/31…near halftime of Game 3, she crumpled to the floor with a right Achilles tear.

2006: She averaged 14.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg in a two-game series against Detroit, despite spending most of the second half of Game 2, 8/19, in the training room with a concussion.

2005: Catchings paced the Fever with 17.3 ppg and 9.3 rpg…she had a season playoff-high 21 points and played 44 out of 45 minutes in an overtime loss at Connecticut which closed the series…her 3-pt FG with 18.6 seconds left in regulation, sent the game into overtime.

2002: In three games against New York, she averaged 20.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg and 2.3 apg…in the series opener, she shot 11-of-19 overall with four 3-pointers for 29 points…she collected 11 rebounds and handed out four assists with three steals…she scored 20 points and grabbed a postseason-high 14 rebounds in Game 2 at New York, 8/18.

PRO – OVERSEAS

2012-13: Catchings posted averages of 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game for the Guangdong Dolphins in China.

2010-11:
Catchings averaged 13.0 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing 11 games for Galatasaray and helping the club to the Turkish Finals against four-time champion Fenerbahce.

2009-10: Catchings played for Galatasaray in the Turkish League alongside Fever teammate Katie Douglas.

2008-09: Catchings led her team in Poland (Lotos Gdynia) to the Polish League title by averaging 14.7 ppg (fifth in PLKK)…she was named PLKK Player of the Year by Eurobasket.com.

2006-07: Catchings played for Woori Bank Hansae of the WKBL (Korea) and finished her season with a scoring average of 28.1 ppg.

2005-06: Catchings split her time between Russia and Korea…she competed for Spartak Moscow in November and December…in January, she resumed her position with Woori Bank Hansae of the Women’s Korean Basketball League…she returned to Spartak Moscow in late March during the club’s participation in the EuroCup playoffs.

2003: A week after ending her WNBA regular season, Catchings returned to Korea to help Woori Bank Hansae to a summer title in the WKBL…she scored 23 points with 25 rebounds and eight assists in the final game as Woori Bank won the championship series, 3-1.

2002-03: Catchings led the Woori Bank Hansae to a 14-6 record and the regular-season title in the WKBL…in Korea, she averaged 24.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game…she was named the All-Star Game MVP and led the league in points and steals.

INTERNATIONAL

2016: Catchings has been named to the USA Basketball Olympic Women’s Basketball Team that will compete in Rio de Janeiro, Catchings hopes to join an elite club with Teresa Edwards and Lisa Leslie who are currently the only American basketball players, male or female, to earn four Olympic gold medals.

2012: A tri-captain on the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team in London, Catchings earned her third Olympic gold medal…one of only three players to start all eight games, she averaged 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while finishing second on the club with 13 steals.

2010: Catchings helped the U.S. to a gold medal in the FIBA World Championships, conducted in Czech Republic…averaging 19.3 minutes per game, Catchings averaged 8.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in the tournament.

2008: In her second Olympics with Team USA, Catchings appeared in all eight games of the Olympic Tournament and claimed her second Olympic gold medal…Catchings led the U.S. with 14 steals in the tournament, while averaging 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game…she shot 72.4 percent from the floor to lead the U.S.

2006-07: Catchings led the U.S. in points (12.8), rebounds (9.0) and steals (3.8) during the Senior Women’s National Team’s 2007-08 training camp four-game tour in Italy…she was second on the team with 1.5 assists per game.

2006: Catchings was a starter for the United States while earning a bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women conducted in Sao Paulo, Brazil…the team finished 8-1 in the tournament, falling to Russia in a semifinal game and downing Brazil for the bronze medal…Catchings finished the tournament averaging 7.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game…her 18 steals led the U.S.

2004: Catchings won her first Olympic gold medal while starting every game for the United States in Athens, Greece…sixth on the team in scoring (6.9 ppg), Catchings was solid in multiple categories for the U.S. – first in minutes (24.8), steals (2.8) and free throw percentage (.833) and third in rebounds (5.4)…Catchings posted 11 points and a game-high five steals in a semifinal win over Russia, 8/27…she had one point, five boards, a block and two steals in the gold medal-win over Australia, 8/28.

2002: Following the 2002 WNBA season, she helped lead the U.S. National Team to a gold medal in the FIBA World Championship for Women held in China…in the World Championship, she averaged 10.0 ppg and was second on the squad with 5.7 rpg…she was the team’s top outside threat, nailing a team-high 13 3-pt FG in nine games, shooting 48 percent beyond the arc.

COLLEGE

2000-01: She led her team in scoring (15.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg) before suffering a season-ending torn right ACL (17th game of the season)…she led Tennessee to a 16-1 record and a No. 2 national ranking before the injury…she was a Kodak All-America recipient for the fourth consecutive season, then one of only four women ever to be named four times… she finished her college career ranked third in the school’s history in points (2,113) and rebounds (1,004) and second in steals (311) and blocked shots (140)…she posted 33 career double-doubles…she graduated with honors a semester ahead of her class with a bachelor’s degree in sport management, 12/00…a 2001 Academic All-SEC honoree, she earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during her final undergraduate semester.

1999-00: She was a consensus All-American and received numerous honors following her junior season, including the Naismith National Player of the Year Award while guiding the Lady Vols to the NCAA Championship game for the second time in her four college seasons…she received an ESPY Award as the 2000 College Player of the Year…she scored double figures 32 times and grabbed double-digit rebounds 11 times while recording nine double-doubles…she led her team in scoring (15.7), rebounding (7.9) and steals (2.5).

1998-99: She was named to the Kodak All-America Team for the second time…she also was named to The Associated Press All-America Team, as well as Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and Women’s Basketball Journal All-America Teams…she was a member of the SEC’s All-Academic Team…starting all 34 games, she scored double-figure 29 times and recorded eight double-doubles…she was second on the team in scoring (16.6), rebounding (7.3) and assists (95)…she led the team in steals (88)…she scored a career-high 38 points in 27 minutes against Florida in the SEC Tournament, just two points shy of the SEC Tournament record.

1997-98: She joined Holdsclaw as the second member of the Lady Vols to be honored as a Kodak All-American as a freshman…she celebrated her first SEC title with spots on the All-Tournament, All-SEC and All-Freshman Teams…she was selected as Freshman of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, The Sporting News and the SEC coaches…she was named to the All-Final Four Team, as her team won the national championship…she scored double figures 36 times, grabbed double-digit rebounds nine times and recorded nine double-doubles…she scored a school freshman record 711 points and tallied a Tennessee freshman record 35 points against DePaul.

PERSONAL

Her nicknames are Mik, Mika or Catch…she earned a master’s degree in sports studies at the University of Tennessee, completing commencement exercises, 5/6/05…she attended Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas…she considers her family as the only role models she’ll ever need…while in the seventh grade, she decided to pursue a career in basketball…she is an avid poetry writer and lists her favorite author as E. Lynn Harris…she wears No. 24 because her father, Harvey, who played in the NBA, wore 42, her brother wore 21, which is half of 42 and her sister Tauja (who played at the University of Illinois) wore 12, which is opposite of 21 and half of 24…Tauja was a standout college player at Illinois and was drafted in the third round (#37 overall) by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2000 WNBA Draft…if she could play against any NBA player it would be Alonzo Mourning, because “I have always admired him. He has definitely shown the heart and determination of a true champion.”
Born with a hearing disability, she wore a hearing aid as a young girl…in 2000, she was honored with the Reynolds Society Achievement Award by the world-famous Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston…that annual award is given to an individual who has overcome hearing, vision or voice loss and who has distinguished themselves and provided inspiration to others.

Catchings launched the Catch the Stars Foundation, Inc. in Spring 2004, initially to assist disadvantaged youth in helping to achieve their dreams…Catchings felt compelled to start the foundation because she understands that the youth of today are the stars of tomorrow and the lack of support for our youth results in many never reaching their full potential…the Catch the Stars Foundation has evolved to empower all youth, boys and girls, to achieve their dreams by providing goal setting programs that promote fitness, literacy and youth development…programs are targeted to youth throughout Indianapolis, with a specific emphasis on supporting and assisting under-served and low to moderate income communities…a public reception was held to unveil the foundation at the NCAA Hall of Champions, 3/11/05…in February 2011, the Foundation announced a partnership with the University of Tennessee School of Education, Health and Human Services to assist at-risk high school students in Knoxville, Tenn.…Catchings and the Foundation conducts fitness clinics and basketball camps at numerous locations nationally…fitness clinics are conducted in November each year with canned food items being the only cost of admission…those canned food items are annually donated to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, prior to Thanksgiving…Catchings has also been an annual participant and sponsor of the Indiana Pacers’ annual Thanksgiving dinner to feed the area’s homeless and less fortunate…current programs for her foundation include a college scholarship program for Indianapolis high school scholar-athletes; the Catch the Stars Youth Holiday Basketball Camp; Catch on to Fitness Clinics; Catchings Corner (donated Fever game tickets) and S.T.A.R.S. (Sisters Teaching and Reaching Sisters)…for more information, contact catchthestars24@aol.com or visit websites at www.catchings24.com or www.catchthestars.org.

CAREER TRANSACTIONS

(1) Drafted by the Indiana Fever with the 3rd overall pick, first round, in the 2001 WNBA Draft, 4/20/01

JOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASS
JOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASSJOIN LEAGUE PASS
Marquee Image

Don't Miss The Action

Stream Live and On-demand WNBA games