Tamika Catchings

Position: Forward
Height: 6'2' / 188 cms.
Weight: 162 lbs. / 74 kgs..
WNBA Team: Indiana Fever
School: University of Tennessee '01

USA Basketball Notes:

• Gold Medals: 2012 Olympics, 2010 FIBA World Championship, 2008 Olympic Games, 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball Tournament, 2004 Olympic Games, 2002 FIBA World Championship, 2002 Opals World Challenge, 1998 R. William Jones Cup, 1997 FIBA Junior World Championship.
  
• Silver Medal: 1997 COPABA Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament (U18).
  
• Bronze Medal: 2006 FIBA World Championship.
  
• Member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team that posted an 8-0 record and earned the gold medal in London; started all eight games and averaged 6.1 ppg., 4.9 rpg., 2.1 apg. and 1.6 spg.
• Aided the 2012 USA National Team to a 5-0 pre-Olympic exhibition slate; started all five games and averaged 8.8 ppg., 4.8 rpg. and 3.4 spg.
• Is one of only eight players to have earned a World Championship gold medal, Olympic gold medal, an NCAA title and WNBA championship (Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Cynthia Cooper, Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi and Kara Wolters).
• Member of the 2010 USA Basketball World Championship Team that posted a 9-0 slate, captured the gold medal and qualified the U.S. for the 2012 Olympic Games; started all nine games and averaged 8.8 ppg. and 2.8 rpg. in fewer than 20 minutes a game.
• Aided the USA to a 3-1 pre-World Championship exhibition slate.
• Scored 13 points and dished out four assists for the USA National Team that defeated the WNBA Stars 99-72 in the “WNBA vs. USA Basketball: Stars at the Sun” game on July 10, 2010.
• Named to the 2009-12 USA National Team on Aug. 17, 2009.
• Member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team that captured the USA’s fourth consecutive gold medal with a perfect 8-0 record and qualified the U.S. for the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
  
• Aided the USA National Team to the 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball gold medal and a 3-0 slate prior to the Olympics against Latvia and eventual Olympic bronze and silver medalists Russia and Australia, respectively; saw limited playing time and sat out the gold medal game while continuing to rehab her Achilles injury.
  
• Aided the 2007-08 USA National Team to a 4-0 slate during its 2007 Tour of Italy.
  
• Member of the 2006 USA World Championship Team that posted an 8-1 record and took home the bronze medal; started all nine games and averaged team-highs of 6.9 rpg. and 2.0 spg.
  
• Aided the U.S. to a 56-49 exhibition victory over eventual World Championship gold medalist Australia.
  
• As a member of the 2004 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team, notched a team-high 2.8 spg. en route to the gold medal and an 8-0 mark as the U.S. qualified for the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
  
• Aided the U.S. to a 3-0 record in pre-Olympic exhbition games.
  
• Provided a strong spark off the bench during the USA's 13-0 spring training run over teams in Cuba, Europe and the USA.
  
• Averaged a USA third-best 10.0 ppg. en route to helping the U.S. to the gold medal and a 9-0 slate at the 2002 FIBA World Championship, qualifying the USA for the 2004 Olympics.
  
• Member of the 1998 USA R. William Jones Cup Team that posted a 5-0 record in Taipei, Taiwan.
  
• Member of the 1997 USA Junior World Championship (U19) Team that won the gold medal with a 6-1 record in Natal, Brazil.
  
• Is the first American woman to claim gold at both the junior and senior level FIBA World Championships.
  
• Member of the 1996 USA Junior World Championship Qualifying (U18) Team that captured the silver medal with a 4-1 record in Chetumal, Mexico.
  

Professional Notes

• Drafted: No. 3 in 2001 by the Indiana Fever.
• WNBA Title: 2012
• WNBA MVP: 2011
• WNBA Finals MVP: 2012
• All-WNBA first team: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
  
• All-WNBA second team: 2004, 2005, 2007
  
• WNBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012
• WNBA All-Defensive first team: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
  
• WNBA Rookie of the Year: 2002
  
• WNBA All-Star Games: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 (injured), 2007, 2009, 2011
• WNBA All-Decade Team: 1997-06
• Top 15 Players in WNBA History (15th Anniv. Team): 2011
• Korea League titles: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007
  
• Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: 2010
• Currenty competing in 2012-13 Women's China Basketball Association season for Guangdong Dolphins (China).
• After averaging 17.4 ppg., 7.6 rpg. and 3.1 apg. during the 2012 season, posted playoff averages of 19.0 ppg., 8.5 rpg. and 3.1 apg. in leading the Fever to the 2012 WNBA title and earned WNBA Finals MVP honors in the process.
• Was named the 2011 WNBA MVP after averaging 15.5 ppg., 7.1 rpg., 3.5 apg. and 2.0 bpg.
• Suffered a torn plantar fascia in her right foot in the second game of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals (09/25/11) and spent the off-season rehabilitating her foot.
• In 2010 became the first player in WNBA history to earn a fourth Defensive Player of the Year award and is the only player to be named to the All-Defensive first team all six years.
• Led Indiana to the 2010 and 2011 Eastern Conference Finals.
• Played for Galatasaray in 2010-11, joined Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles in aiding Gala to the Turkish Cup title; also played for Gala in 2009-10.
• Averaged 18.2 ppg. and 7.1 rpg. in helping the Fever to a 21-13 regular season record and the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals.
  
• In 2010 became the first player in WNBA history to earn four Defensive Player of the Year awards and is the only player to be named to the All-Defensive first team all six years.
  
• Earned the 2010 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship award, which is presented annually to a player who exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court, ethical behavior, fair play and integrity.
  
• Helped the Fever clinch a the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 22-12 record and advance to the 2009 WNBA Finals.
  
• Tore her Achilles tendon on Sept. 3, 2007, and underwent surgery on Sept. 5; prior to injury, helped lead the Fever to a 21-13 record and into the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals.
  
• The leading vote-getter for the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game.
  
• Sat out the 2001 WNBA season while recovering from a torn right ACL, which cut short her final season at Tennessee. She then suffered torn cartilage in the same knee during practice on July 5, underwent surgery and missed the remainder of the season.
  
• Earned WNBA Player of the Week honors in her first week in the league.
  
• Received 48 out of a possible 60 WNBA Rookie of the Year votes in 2002 and finished as the second vote getter for WNBA Defensive Player of the Year after aiding the Fever to its best record and first playoff berth in franchise history.
  
• Finished as runner-up for the 2003 WNBA MVP award.
  
• Honed her game internationally in South Korea and Russia during the WNBA off-seasons. Won four Korean titles with Woori Bank Hansae (2002, 2003, 2006, 2007).
  
• Played for Spartak Moscow Region in 2005-06.
  

College Notes

• During her four years at Tennessee, the Lady Vols posted a 134-10 overall record (.931) as UT collected four Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season crowns, three SEC Tournament titles, competed in four NCAA Tournaments, won the NCAA title in 1998, advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 2000, and made Elite Eight (1999) and Sweet Sixteen (2001) appearances.
  
• The 2001 ESPY award winner as the College Women's Basketball Player of the Year and consensus National Player of the Year in 2000, named to the 1998 and 2000 NCAA All-Final Four teams, earned 2000 NCAA Midest Region Most Outstanding Player honors and was selected to the 1999 NCAA East and 2000 Mideast All-Regional teams.
  
• A four-time Kodak/WBCA All-America first team selection, was named the 1998 National Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
  
• A three-time All-SEC first team selection (1998, 1999, 2000), was named All-SEC second team in 2001, earned SEC All-Tournament Team honors in 1998, 1999 and 2000, was named 1998 SEC Newcomer of the Year by the A.P. and the SEC's 1998 Freshman of the Year.
  

Personal Notes

• Born July 21, 1979 in Stratford, New Jersey; finished high school in Duncanville, Texas; after spending her first two years of high school playing basketball with her sister, Tauja, in Lincolnshire, Illinois; and currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.
  
• Daughter of Wanda and Harvey Catchings, has two brothers, Kenyon and Bryce and two sisters, Tauja and Chrystie.
  
• Her father competed 11 years in the NBA for the LA Clippers, Milwaukee, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. She then worked in the league office as the Director, NBA Player Programs.
  
• Has career ambitions of being a general manager of a professional basketball team.
  
• Annually hosts ‘Catch The Stars,' a holiday basketball camp that in 2010 celebrated its 10th year. She is the lead instructor at the three-day camp, which features over 100 kids ages 9-14.
  
• Involved heavily in her community, was called upon by President Bush to attend his 2004 State of the Union speech as a representative of all 2004 Olympians and Olympic hopefuls.
  
• Honored by the WNBA for her work, Catchings has received several Off-Season WNBA Community Assist awards.
  
• In addition to hosting camps and clinics and raising money to enable disadvantaged youths to attend basketball camps, Catchings created the Catch the Stars Foundation in 2004. Taking advice from three-time Olympian Dawn Staley, the foundation is targeted towards at-risk youths and its goal is to provide both
  academic and athletics programs. In 2008 Catchings was awarded the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award.
  
• Has some hearing loss and was honored during her junior season at UT with the Reynolds Society Achievement Award by the world-famous Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. The annual award is presented to an individual who has overcome hearing, vision or voice loss and who has distinguished themselves and provided inspiration to others.
  
• Collected numerous national accolades as a prep star, including the 1997 Boost/Naismith and Rawlings/WBCA National Prep Player of the Year awards. A four-time Parade Magazine All-American, she was also named to the 1997 USA Today Girls High School All-USA first team, as well as Texas Player of the Year by USA Today. In 1995 Catchings was named Illinois Miss Basketball as a sophomore, becoming the first underclassman in Illinois to receive the award.