CappiePondexter

Position: Guard
Height/Weight: 5-9
Birth Date: 01-07-1983
College: Rutgers
Hometown: Chicago, IL
WNBA Experience: 11

Highlights

• Named one of the Top-15 Players in WNBA History
  • Two-time WNBA Champion (2007, 2009) with the Phoenix Mercury
  • WNBA Finals MVP (2007)
  • Seven-time WNBA All-Star (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015)
  • Three-time All-WNBA First Team (2009, 2010, 2012) selection
  • Became 12th player in WNBA history with 5,000 career points (second fastest ever to reach the mark)
  • Ranks fourth in WNBA history for scoring average (19.2) and most 30-point games (20)
  • First in Liberty franchise history with 19.2 scoring average and second in total scoring with 2,522 points
  • Made six career playoff appearances
  • Named to WNBA All-Rookie team (2006)
  • Selected by the Phoenix Mercury in the first round (2nd overall) of the 2006 WNBA Draft

WNBA

2016

Cappie started in 29 out of 33 games played…She played a season high of 38 minutes (2 times)…She scored a season high of 24 points (2 times)…Cappie snatched up a season high of 6 rebounds (3 times)…She had a season high of 6 assists vs. Indiana Fever…Cappie made a season high of 11 field goals vs. Minnesota Lynx…

2015

Traded to the Sky on 2/16… Started all 29 Sky games in which she played…Second on the team in scoring with 15.0 points per game…. Became one of only 10 players to be named an all-star seven or more times with her selection in July…Tied career low in turnovers per game (1.4)…Season high 29 points in 7/12 win over Connecticut…Reached double digit scoring in 24 of 29 games…Seven 20+ point games

2014

Started all 34 games for the Liberty…Second on the team in scoring with 13.2 PPG, a career low…Led the team with 3.9 assists per game…Season high 29 points in 6/18 overtime loss at Chicago…Named to her second consecutive all-star team

2013

Started all 30 games she appeared in…missed the final three regular season games due to injury…Was the team’s leading scorer with 16.9 points per game…Scored in double figures in 25 games, including 12 contests with 20 points or more…Had two games with 30-plus points…Scored season high 34 points at Los Angeles  on 7/4…Poured in 33 points in road victory at Atlanta on 8/11…Led the Liberty in assists with 4.0 per game…Posted six or more assists in nine games, including a season-high nine assists in win over Washington on 7/31…Named a starter to the 2013 East All-Star roster.

2012

Started in all 34 games…Averaged a team-best 20.4 points and 4.3 assists per game…Was third on the squad with 4.5 rebounds per contest…Scored in double figures in 33 of 34 games…Posted 20 or more points in 18 games and had four 30-point games, including a season high 33 points at Indiana on 7/10…Recorded three double-doubles for the season…Had 14 points and 13 assists at Atlanta on 6/19…Tied Teresa Weatherspoon for Liberty record for most assists in a single game (13)…Scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds vs. Los Angeles on 9/9 and posted 30 points and 11 rebounds at Washington on 9/16…Led team in total rebounds (154)…Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week in the 2012 WNBA season, 13th time in career…Made a fifth career postseason appearance.

2011 

Led the Liberty in points with 17.4 PPG…Pondexter tied the third most assists in a single game (11) in Liberty franchise history, joining Teresa Weatherspoon (@ATL, 6/5)…Scored 20 or more points in 11 games…Selected to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game…Named Player of the Week twice during the 2011 WNBA season.

2010

Traded to the Liberty on 3/30 from Phoenix…Started in all 34 games…Led WNBA in Points (729), Field Goals Made (254) and Minutes Played (1167)…Finished second in points per game (21.4)… Posted four 30-point games and registered 20-plus points 20 times…Scored a career high of 40 points and 14 field goals on 7/18 against Indiana

2009 

Started in all 34 games she appeared in…Led the team in scoring 13 times…Posted 20-plus points 18 times and 20-plus points with five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists five times…Finished third in WNBA in assists per game (5.0) and fourth in points per game (19.1)…Named a WNBA All-Star for the third time in her young career…Registered her 2,000th career point to become the third Mercury player in club history to accomplish the feat…Became first player in league history to win the Player Of The Week honor for three consecutive weeks (July 5-18).

2008: 

Started in the 32 games she appeared in…Finished second in the WNBA in scoring with 21.2 points per game and eighth in assists with 4.2 per game…Posted four 30-point games, scored 20-plus points 20 times and dished out five-plus assists 15 times…Led team in scoring 12 times, assists 14 times and rebounds three times…Named Western Conference Player of the Week for week ending July 20, 2008…Along with Diana Taurasi, broke record (previously set in 2006) as the highest-scoring teammates in league history (45.3 PPG).

2007

Started in the 31 games she appeared in, missing three games due to injury (strained left groin)…Earned first WNBA All-Star appearance…Finished eighth in the WNBA in scoring (17.2) and 10th in assists per game (4.0)…Led the team in scoring six times, rebounds once and assists 10 times…Scored 20-plus points 11 times…Became the ninth player in league history to record 500 or more points in each of her first two seasons…Named 2007 WNBA Finals MVP while leading Phoenix to its first WNBA Championship.

2006

Named to WNBA All-Rookie team…Finished fourth in scoring (19.5 PPG ), and fifth in minutes played (33.4 MPG)…Scored 624 total points, the second-most prolific scoring rookie in league history behind Seimone Augustus…Third rookie in WNBA history to break the 600-point mark (Cynthia Cooper, Augustus)…Posted back-to-back 30-point games on 6/2 and 6/6 joining Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes as the only players in league history to accomplish such a feat (later joined by Taurasi)…Along with Taurasi, became the first teammates in league history to score 30 or more in the same game…Scored 20-plus points 18 times, including six straight…Scored 226 points in first 10 career games, the most in league history…Led the team in scoring 10 times, assists eight times and steals a team-high eight times.

Playoffs

2016

Cappie had a playoff season high of playing 35 minutes vs. Atlanta Dream…She scored a playoff season high of 19 points vs. Los Angeles Sparks…

2015

Appeared in all three Sky playoff games…Averaged 6.0 points per game in 10 minutes per game…Had 10 points in Game 2 loss to Indiana.

2012

Appeared in both Liberty playoff games…Led the team with 17.0 points per game and 5.0 assists per game…Third on the team with 4.5 rebounds per game.

2011

Appeared in all three Liberty playoff games…Second on the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game…Third on the team in rebounding with 5.0 rebounds per game…Led the team with 5.3 assists per game.

2010

Appeared in all five Liberty playoff games…Led the team with 28.4 points per game…Scored at least 24 points in all five games with two 30-plus point performances as well…Also led the team in assists with 4.6 per game…Third on the team in rebounding with 4.2 per game.

2009

Appeared in all 11 Mercury playoff games en route to WNBA Title…Second on the team with 18.2 points per game and 3.5 assists per game…Championship was Phoenix’s second in three seasons.

2007

Appeared in all nine Mercury playoff games en route to WNBA Title…Led the team in scoring with 23.9 points per game and 5.8 assists per game.

International

2015-16

Played for Turkey’s Beskitas…Team finished ninth in BKBL…Led team with 20.1 PPG.

2014-15

Played for Turkey’s Fenerbahce SK…Team finished fourth in Euroleague and won Turkish Cup.

2013-14

Played for Turkey’s Fenerbahce SK…Team finished second in Euroleague and second in Turkish Cup.

2012-13

Played for Turkey’s Fenerbahce SK…Team finished second in Euroleague and Turkish Cup and won Turkish Basketball League.

2011-12

Played for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg…Team won the Russian League and Russian Cup.

2010-11

Played for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg…Team won the Russian League and Russian Cup.

2009-10

Played for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg…Team won the Russian League and Russian Cup.

2008-09

Played for Turkey’s Fenerbahce SK…Team won Turkish League and Turkish Cup and finished fifth in Euroleague…Also won gold for the United States in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

2007-08

Played for Turkey’s Fenerbahce SK…Team won Turkish League and Turkish Cup and finished fifth in Euroleague

2006-07

Played for Turkey’s Fenerbahce SK…Team won Turkish League and Turkish Cup and finished fifth in Euroleague

College

Finished career at Rutgers averaging 18.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.9 APG and 1.8 SPG in 121 games (103 starts)…Finalist for the State Farm Wade Trophy, the Naismith Award, the Women’s Wooden Award, the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, the Honda Sports Award for Basketball and the Nancy Lieberman Award (nation’s top point guard) during her senior season…2006 Women’s Basketball News Service National Player of the Year, unanimous selection as the 2006 BIG EAST Player of the Year and the only player in league history to be named to the All-BIG EAST First Team four times during her career…In 2006, selected to the Kodak/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America First Team, the Associated Press All-America First Team, the ESPN.com All-America First Team, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-America Team, the WBNS All-America First Team, the Women’s Wooden Award All-America Team, the Senior CLASS Award All-America First Team, the Full Court Press All-America First Team and the Gballmag.com All-America First Team…Recorded 106 double-digit scoring games (57 20+ points, five 30+ points, one 40+ points), and three double-digit rebounding games, one double-digit assist game and three double-doubles … Holds the following all-time ranks at Rutgers: No. 1 in three-point field-goal percentage (164-385, .426), No. 2 in scoring (2,211), free throws made (427), field goals made (810) and field goals attempted (1,768), No. 3 in scoring average (18.3 ppg), three-point field goals made (164) and free throws attempted (539), No. 4 in three-point field goals attempted (385), No. 6 in assists (470), tied No. 6 in free-throw percentage (427-539, .792), tied No. 9 in steals (213).

Personal

 Born on January 7, 1983 in Oceanside, CA to Vanessa and Leo Pondexter…Sister to Ronald Brown and Latoya Pondexter…Raised in Chicago, IL…Named after her aunt…African Studies major at Rutgers…Wants to teach preschool when her playing career is over because she loves the enthusiasm of kids…Wears jersey No. 23 out respect for the games of NBA greats Michael Jordan and LeBron James…In high school, got a tattoo on her left bicep of the WNBA logo and the words “The Future” written above it…Attended John Marshall High School (Ill.) where she was named the 2001 Illinois Player of the Year by Gatorade and USA Today and became the first player state history to be twice named Illinois Miss Basketball (2000, 2001).