Legend Of Tamika Catchings Grows With Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame Induction

There was no doubt when 10-time WNBA All-Star Tamika Catchings retired in 2016 that the book on her life in basketball was not finished. The same can be said of her induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a headliner of a star-studded 2020 class.

Almost immediately, Catchings transitioned from leading the Indiana Fever on the floor to doing so in the front office. The franchise with which she spent her entire 15 seasons in the WNBA became hers to run, and Catchings’ rise within the C-suite of the organization — which also includes the Indiana Pacers and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League — continued when she was named general manager of the Fever in 2019.

While Catchings’ professional involvement in basketball continues with the Fever, she connects eras and legacies like few in the sport. Catchings played under the iconic Pat Summitt at Tennessee alongside WNBA great Chamique Holdsclaw.

“I talk about (Summitt) like she’s still here, she lives inside my heart,” Catchings said on the ESPN broadcast announcing the new Hall of Famers. “I’m thankful for having such a huge leader in my life.”

During her time in the WNBA, Catchings become president of the Players’ Association, and her efforts in that capacity materialized in the league’s new collective bargaining agreement with its players earlier this year.

Catchings lent a hand to current union President Nneka Ogwumike by “(advising) from afar” during negotiations, she told Alexis Mansanarez of The Athletic.

Everywhere you look in the past two-plus decades of women’s basketball, Catchings is present. She was there near the beginning of the UConn-Tennessee rivalry. She played for Summitt. She played with Holdsclaw. She faced off against Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor in the WNBA Finals. She won a championship against Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx just before their dynasty began. Later, she played with the likes of Moore and Taurasi to win four Olympic gold medals. She led her colleagues as a union leader.

After retirement, Catchings spurred a rebuild for the franchise she gave her playing career to. She continued to lead players and executives. She broadcasts SEC games on television. She advocates for the hearing impaired and has spoken out against police brutality throughout her career.

Few mean more to basketball than Catchings — the Hall of Fame nailed the selection and is only of one of a growing list of accomplishments for one of the best ever to encounter the hardwood.