Latest news with #Catchings
Indianapolis Star
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Tamika Catchings, Caitlin Clark and more: All Indiana Fever players in WNBA All-Star games
The WNBA All-Star game will be held in Indianapolis for the first time in 2025. While the league began in 1997, the Indiana Fever did not become a franchise until 2000. A year later, the Fever drafted Tamika Catchings, who would become the team's greatest player and make 10 All-Star games. But Catchings isn't the only player who has stood out. Here is a list of every Fever player who has participated in a WNBA All-Star game. Rita Williams has the distinction of being the first WNBA All-Star for the Fever. Williams made the game as an injury replacement and played nine minutes, contributing an assist for the East. The West won the game, 80-72. Tamika Catchings' first of many All-Star games occurred in 2002. Catchings started the game and put up 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. The West won, 81-76. The 2003 All-Star game marked the first time the Fever had multiple players participate. Catchings started and led the East with 17 points. Natalie Williams, in her first season with the Fever, was a reserve in the game. She scored six points, grabbed 11 rebounds and notched three steals. Williams was also an All-Star for the Utah Starzz from 1999 to 2001. The West won, 84-75. While 2004 was not considered a standard WNBA All-Star game due to the Olympics, Catchings and Williams once again participated in a mid-season exhibition contest. Dubbed "The Game at Radio City," it pitted the U.S. Olympic team against a WNBA squad. Catchings was a starter on the Olympic team while Williams was a reserve on the WNBA side. The USA won, 74-58. Catchings was a starter on the East squad for the third time and had 18 points and six rebounds. The West won, 122-99. Catchings was voted a starter once again, but was injured and did not play. Whitmore, whose lone All-Star game appearance came in 2006, scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds and registered two blocked shots. The East won, 98-82. Catchings started and put up a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. She also had seven assists. In her second All-Star game (first and only while playing with the Fever), DeForge started and had two points and an assist. Sutton-Brown, in her second All-Star appearance (first and only while playing with Indiana), came off the bench and grabbed three rebounds. The East won, 103-99. Both Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas started for the East squad, which lost to the West, 130-118. Catchings had seven points, five assists and four rebounds. Douglas, an Indianapolis native who played at Purdue, was already a two-time All-Star with the Connecticut Sun by the time 2009 came around (Douglas was the 2006 All-Star game MVP). In the 2009 game, Douglas had 11 points, five assists and three rebounds. The Fever's Lin Dunn coached the East team. Like in 2004, 2010 was not considered a standard WNBA All-Star game. Dubbed "Stars at the Sun" (played at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut), the game once again featured Team USA against a WNBA team. Catchings started for Team USA and Douglas started for the WNBA squad. Team USA won, 99-72. A 3-point contest was also held, which Douglas won. Catchings and Douglas teamed up again in the starting lineup for the East. Douglas contributed 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Catchings had 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists. The East won, 118-113. Catchings started for the East and scored six points and grabbed five rebounds. Shavonte Zellous, in her only All-Star game appearance, came off the bench and had four points and two assists. The East lost to the West, 102-98. Lin Dunn, who won a WNBA title with the Fever a season prior, coached the East squad. Catchings started and had a productive game of 14 points, 13 rebounds, five steals and two assists. Briann January, who is currently an assistant coach for the Fever, had nine points and four assists in her lone All-Star game appearance. The East won in overtime, 125-124. Catchings started and contributed eight points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Coleman, in her only All-Star game of her career, came off the bench and had six points and two assists. The West won, 117-112. Tamika Catchings retired in 2016, so the streak of Indiana having an All-Star game starter ended in 2017. However, Candice Dupree came off the bench for the East and had 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dupree made seven All-Star games during her career. The East lost, 130-121. In 2018, the WNBA switched up formats and had the two leading vote-getters select the teams. A year later, the format remained and A'ja Wilson and Elena Delle Donne served as captains. Both Dupree and Wheeler were selected by Wilson and came off the bench. Wheeler had an impressive performance of 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds. In her lone All-Star game, she was named the MVP for her efforts in a 129-126 win for Team Wilson. Wheeler, who went undrafted in 2013, currently plays for the Seattle Storm. Dupree had eight points and five rebounds. In 2023, Aliyah Boston became the first rookie to start a WNBA All-Star game since 2014. At the time, she was just the eighth player to do so. Boston started for A'ja Wilson's team and recorded six points and 11 rebounds. Boston's teammate, Kelsey Mitchell, also made her first All-Star game in 2023. She came off the bench for Breanna Stewart's team and had two points, three rebounds and two assists. Team Stewart won, 143-127. Stephanie White, the current coach of the Fever, coached Team Stewart. That season, White was the head coach of the Connecticut Sun. Like Boston, Clark became an All-Star game starter as a rookie. Clark was on Team WNBA, which faced off with the U.S. Olympic team. She scored four points and had 10 assists in a 117-109 win. It was the U.S. Olympic team's only loss (they won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics that summer). Boston came off the bench for Team WNBA and had four points and two rebounds. Mitchell also came off the bench and had 13 points and two steals. Clark received the most votes for the 2025 All-Star game and will serve as a team captain. The league reported that Clark received almost 1.3 million votes.
Axios
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Axios
Tamika Catchings, WNBPA and 2K team up for Riverside rebirth
One of the most meaningful basketball courts Tamika Catchings has ever stepped foot on has been given a fresh start to inspire a new generation of Indy ballers and philanthropists. Why it matters: The refurbished court at Riverside Park is the latest improvement for the long-underutilized Indy attraction spanning both sides of the White River. The court was funded by 2K Foundations, the charitable arm of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Driving the news: Catchings, Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson, WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson and 2K's head of lifestyle and content marketing Ronnie 2K gathered with the community for a court unveiling Thursday morning. Flashback: The court is special to Catchings because it is where she hosted her first youth basketball camp in December 2001 after being sidelined with a torn ACL. In addition to basketball skills, the free camp taught children about philanthropy by asking them to bring in canned goods that would be donated to Gleaners as their price for admission. "This is where it all began. So it's always going to have a big place in my heart, and it's somewhere that I wanted to come back to," Catchings told Axios. Similar to Catchings championing philanthropy 24 years ago, 2K Foundations has leveraged the massive brand identity established by the NBA2K games to reinforce the importance of doing good. "That's what this is really about … trying to inspire the next generation to fall in love with basketball, just like I did as a kid, and then be able to pay it back down the road," Ronnie 2K said. What's new: Riverside's court now features an official WNBA three-point line, a nod to the WNBA's "Line 'Em Up" effort to bring regulation three-point lines to community courts across the country. The bottom line: For the kids who will play at Riverside, and for Catchings, this is much more than a court; it's a symbol of endless possibility. "It really is about dreaming big. You're bigger than this neighborhood," Catchings said. "And yes, come back to the neighborhood. Never forget where you came from. But know that whatever you want to achieve or wherever you want to go, you've got people that want to help you succeed."
Indianapolis Star
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Tamika Catchings mural on Mass Ave shows 'she's not just a basketball star' but 'force in the community as well'
INDIANAPOLIS – When Nate Baranowski started researching Tamika Catchings, he saw her impact on Indianapolis as more than just what she did on the court. Catchings, Indiana's No. 3 pick in the 2001 WNBA draft, was the one to bring the Fever to prominence. She spent her entire 15-year career in a Fever uniform, leading Indiana to 13 playoff appearances and its only WNBA championship in 2012. She was a 10-time All-Star, five-time Defensive Player of the Year and is the only player in franchise history to win MVP. Her No. 24 hangs in the rafters of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. She's one of the most accomplished players in WNBA history. But she also means so much more to Indianapolis. More: IndyStar is your year-round source for exclusive Fever, Caitlin Clark news More: Ranking the 25 best Fever players since 2000 In 2004, Catchings founded the Catch the Stars Foundation, which helps local kids with literacy, fitness and development. She also owns the Tea's Me Cafe, which has three locations around Indianapolis. She still stays involved with Indiana Sports Corp, helping to host events like NBA and WNBA All-Star games in Indianapolis. That's what Baranowski, the South Bend-based artist selected to do a mural of Catchings on Massachusetts Avenue, wanted to show in his painting. 'When looking more at all the different facets of her, from her time at Tennessee, to the championship with the Fever, to her entrepreneurial stuff with Tea's Me Cafe, to her foundation Catch the Stars, and she's also a broadcaster, also a motivational speaker,' Baranowski said, '... I thought, man, if I could show it in these little, tiny snapshots that she's not just a basketball star; she's this great person and force in the community as well. That's what I was hoping to capture in this.' Baranowski was one of four artists commissioned to make concept art for this mural. All four mural concepts were released in April, along with a public survey to help the review committee make the final decision That detail, that care that Baranowski put into researching and highlighting all aspects of Catchings' life is what gave him the final edge. 'As we went through the process of figuring out which artists to be able to have do the mural, Nate stood out,' Catchings said in a video announcing Baranowski as the mural winner in May. 'Just being able to hit on so many parts of my career, upon my Tennessee days, to the Fever days, to the Olympic days, and encompassing the Catch a Star Foundation, Tea's Me Cafe, and everything that literally I've been able to do since I've been here and got drafted in 2001. So it's cool to see, just from portraits and the backdrop, snapshots of each phase of life.' Baranowski has always been an artist, dating back to his chalk art designs in his driveway when he was a kid. He turned that into a business at the University of Illinois as a college student in 2010, taking commission to write chalk announcements on the quad. He originally went to school for industrial design, then got a job as a theme park and entertainment designer down in Orlando. But he knew his heart wasn't in that type of art. He eventually left his job in 2015 to do art full-time, working on murals, chalk art and other commissioned pieces. He's done thousands of pieces and when he saw the international call for concepts for a Tamika Catchings mural, he saw a new challenge in creating something centered around a star. 'I loved the opportunity to highlight someone extraordinary,' Baranowski said. 'It's actually a very huge weight and responsibility to think, all right. This is, like, a real person. This is somebody's life, and you want to try to honor them as best you can as an artist. It was definitely a challenge that has been pretty stressful at times, but exciting. It's all right, it's not just creating art for a Disney movie where it's just like actors. It's for, you know, a real person.' Baranowski's mural has a center focus of a smiling Catchings. To the left, there are portraits of her in a Tennessee uniform, holding an Olympic gold medal and a teacup, representing her cafe. The bottom has a portrait of her doing a backpack drive with her foundation, and at the top is a portrait of her proudly holding the 2012 WNBA championship and Finals MVP trophy. Baranowski and his apprentice, Brooke McGee, spent two weeks in the summer heat, using cranes and stencils to make the project come to life. Now, it stands proudly on Mass Ave.
Indianapolis Star
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Ranking the 25 best Indiana Fever players since 2000
IndyStar is spending the summer looking at the best athletes from Indiana sports teams since 2000. Here is our list of the 25 best Indiana Fever players since the 2000: Stats: 15 years, 41.5%, 35.6% on 3s, 16.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.4 spg, .8 bpg We use win shares -- a single number that is supposed to capture a player's value -- to create a framework of this list. It's far from perfect -- it over-values rebounds, for example -- but Catchings had 93.7 wins shares in her Fever career ... it'd take the next six players on the list to match Catchings' total. Of all these list, Catchings at No. 1 for the Fever is the easiest pick. She was a 10-time all-star, the 2002 Rookie of the Year, a 5-time defensive player of the year, the 2011 MVP, the 2012 Finals MVP and if all that isn't enough she won league community awards four times and the sportsmanship award twice. She averaged 16.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.4 spg for her career. She is, simply, one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. Stats (thru 7/14/25): 2 years, 40.7%, 33.2% on 3s, 5.5 rpg, 8.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 18.6 ppg Too high this soon? Yeah, but it seemed silly putting her anywhere else given her immediate impact on not only the WNBA but women's sports. She won the 2024 rookie of the year award, was an all-star, first team all-WNBA, led the league in 3-pointers (and attempts) and assists, while scoring 19.2 ppg and leading the Fever back to the playoffs after a long stretch as the worst franchise in North American pro sports. Stats: 6 years, 41.8%, 38.0% on 3s, 3.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg, 15.4 ppg She returned to her hometown of Indianapolis when she joined the Fever in 2008 and made two all-star teams. She shot 38.0% on 3s and averaged 15.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game back in Indiana. Douglas made second team all-defense twice, was second team All-NBA twice and finished third in the MVP race in 2009. Stats: 9 years, 38.1%, 36.9% on 3s, 3.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 9.0 ppg Took a few years for January to hit her stride offensively but she was a contributor on defense immediately. Once January got in the starting lineup in 2012, she would make first team all-defense four times and second team twice, finishing third in the defensive player of the year voting in 2014. She was an all-star in 2014, shot as high as 43.1% on 3s, and averaged as many as 4.7 assists and 10.3 points with the Fever. Stats (thru 7/14): 8 years, 42.9%, 37.8% on 3s, 2.8 apg, 17.0 ppg The one player the Fever could count on during the post-Catchings dark time, Mitchell could easily be No. 3 on this list by the end of this season. A three-time All-Star, Mitchell can score, averaging 17.8 points per game each of the last 5 seasons, peaking at 19.2 last season. She averaged as many as 4.2 assists, shot at least 39.8% on 3s the three previous season and has improved on defense. Stats (thru 7/14): 3 years, 55.9%, 8.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.2 bpg, 14.6 ppg Should Boston be third on this list since Clark is second? Perhaps. The No. 3-6 spots could change soon. She was the 2023 rookie of the year and has made the all-star team her first three seasons. Boston averaged more than 14 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block her first two seasons and has improved in Year 3. Stats: 6 years, 40.1%, 34.1% on 3s, 2.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 5.6 ppg A 5-year starter for the Fever, she shot 40.1% overall, 34.8% on 3s, in averaging 5.6 points, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals but she made her mark on defense. Bevilaqua was recognized as one of the WNBA's top defensive players immediately upon joining the Fever, making first team all-defense four times and second team twice in her six seasons in Indiana. Stats: 6 years, 47.3%, 4.7 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 8.5 ppg Sutton-Brown joined the Fever in 2007 and was an all-star, averaging 12.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. She dipped a bit statistically every year after that but started 183 of her 195 games with the Fever, averaging 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in six seasons, retiring after the 2012 season. She was one of the top scorers on some very good Fever teams three times. Stats: 2 years, 43.9%, 33.3% on 3s, 4.9 rpg, 1.0 spg, 13.2 ppg She made her only all-star team in her first season with the Fever in 2006, shooting 45.7%, 39.5% on 3s, 15.5 points and 4.9 rebounds, finishing second in Most Improved Player award voting. Whitmore's game slipped the following season -- 41.5% shooting, 30.0% on 3s, 10.9 ppg -- and she moved on to Connecticut in 2008. Stats: 2 years, 40.4%, 39.2% on 3s, 3.8 rpg, 1.0 spg, 9.5 ppg DeForge made the all-star team in 2007, her second season with the Fever, shooting 41.0% on 3s, 8.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. She arguably had a better season in 2006 -- 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 37.8% on 3s -- but didn't make the all-star team. Stats: 4 years, 48.1%, 5.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 13.4 ppg A five-time all-star before joining the Fever in 2017, she made two more all-star teams and was one of the few bright spots in the Fever's dark ages. Dupree shot 49.4% 5.8 rpg and 15.0 ppg in 2017, has another strong year in 2018 (48.8%, 6.4 rpg, 14.2 ppg) and then made another all-star team at 34, shooting 47.2%, with 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg and 11.6 ppg. Stats: 3 years, 45.6%, 6.6 rpg, 1.2 spg, 10.4 ppg Williams was 32 when she joined the Fever in 2003 after being one of the WNBA's best players its first three seasons. She made the all-star game, averaging 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, in her first season, hit double digits again the following season (10.3 ppg, 6.9 rebounds) but her play dipped in 2005 and she was out of the league. Stats: 6 years, 39.9%, 31.5% on 3s, 2.6 rpg, 8.9 ppg After a promising rookie year in Detroit in 2009, Zellous struggled, landing in Indiana in 2010. After providing scoring off the bench her first two seasons with the Fever (5.9 and 5.6 ppg in 15.5 and 14.0 mpg, respectively), she started a three-year run averaging 11.0 points as a starter, winning most improved player and making the all-star team in 2013. Zellous finished third in the sixth player award voting in 2015, her final seasons with the Fever. Stats: 7 years, 41.0%, 35.0% on 3s, 4.8 rpg, 1.0 spg, 6.4 ppg A versatile role player her first four seasons -- including averaging 6.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 2006 as a full-time starter -- Hoffman continued to get better and took a step up in 2008, winning most improved player. Over the next three years she'd average 9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and shoot 36.5% on 3s before leaving the Fever for Los Angeles. Stats: 6 years, 56.7%, 6.3 rpg, 1.1 spg, 6.6 ppg Larkins hadn't started a game in the league -- or played at all in one the two previous seasons -- when she joined the Fever in 2012. She became a valuable role player, shooting 56.7% from the field, 6.3 rebounds and 6.6 points in 6 seasons. Her best season was 2014 when she averaged 9.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 steals and .8 blocks per game. Stats: 3 years, 37.9%, 34.9% on 3s, 3.1 rpg, 2.0 spg, 10.2 ppg A starter on the first Fever team in 2000, Williams averaged 11.0 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 steals, then made the all-star team in 2001, averaging 11.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals, shooting better than 37% on 3s both seasons. Williams' game dropped off significantly in 2002 and she was out of the league in 2004. Stats: 3 years, 53.0%, 8.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 10.7 ppg The No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft never seem to reach those expectations in three seasons with the Fever, though she was productive. McCowan averaged 10.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in Indiana despite starting just 49 of her 88 games. Stats: 3 years, 45.8%, 33.0% on 3s, 8.0 rpg, 13.0 ppg The second overall pick in the 2022 draft was productive in 3 seasons with the quickly improving Fever, averaging 15.5 ppg on 47.7% shooting and 9.2 rpg in 2023 but was the odd woman out after Clark arrived and traded following the 2024 season, expressing dissatisfaction with a reduced role. Stats: 4 years, 42.5%, 35.6% on 3s, 3.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 spg, 9.5 ppg Johnson joined the Fever in 2015 and established herself as a player on the rise, finishing second in most improved player after averaging 10.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists, was fourth in the sixth player award voting the following season with 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists. But after averaging 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 2017, an ACL injury derailed her career. Stats: 2 years, 41.1%, 36.7% on 3s, 2.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 10.2 ppg Miller was the second overall pick by Charlotte in 2001 but never got a start in three years with the Sting. She moved to Indiana in 2004, stepped into the starting lineup and averaged 10.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and shot 36.7% on 3s. She was named the WNBA's most improved player in 2004. She was the second-leading scorer on the first good Fever team. Stats: 3 years, 41.6%, 44.5% on 3s, 2.1 apg, 7.0 ppg Phillips immediately established herself as an elite 3-point shooter when she joined the Fever in 2011 after not playing in the WNBA the previous season. She'd shoot 44.5% on 3s in her three seasons with Fever, and was a valuable role player on the 2012 champs. Stats: 4 years, 36.7%, 30.3% on 3s, 1.0 spg, 9.2 ppg White joined the Fever in 2005, the same season the franchise began to establish itself as on the WNBA's best teams behind Tamika Catchings. White was a volume scorer off the bench for her first three seasons and moved into the starting lineup in 2008 before leaving the Fever. Stats: 4 years, 36.7%, 32.6% on 3s, 3.0 rpg, 8.2 ppg She was an all-star in 2015, her second season with the Fever, and a four-year starter as Takima Catchings' career was winding down. Coleman was a versatile player but needed a lot of shots to score her points, dropping her down this list. Stats: 6 years, 40.0%, 32.4% on 3s, 3.8 apg, 8.5 ppg Wheeler hadn't started a game in three years before joining the Fever in 2016 and would start 149 of the 215 games she appeared in over two stints with the Fever. Wheeler was an all-star in 2019, shooting 42.6% overall, 38.4% on 3s, with 5.0 apg, 1.2 spg and 10.1 ppg. Wheeler sat out the COVID-19 season of 2020, then played in Los Angeles and Atlanta before returning to the Fever for two seasons in 2023. Stats: 4 years, 52.4%, 3.2 rpg, .9 bpg, 7.1 ppg
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tamika Catchings' heartfelt message to Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton after NBA Finals loss
The post Tamika Catchings' heartfelt message to Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton after NBA Finals loss appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Indiana Pacers fell one game short of their goal of an NBA championship, but a fellow Indiana basketball legend had some encouraging words for the team. 2012 WNBA champion Tamika Catchings sent her support to the Pacers and their injured star, Tyrese Haliburton. Advertisement 'No matter what I'm proud of this @Pacers team!' she wrote on Sunday via X. 'Fought til the end! Prayers up @TyHaliburton22 🙏🏽🥰Congrats to the @okcthunder!' The Pacers fell, 103-91, to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. To make matters worse, Haliburton suffered a torn right achilles tendon during the game and has since undergone surgery. His recovery could keep him out all of next season. Catchings played 15 seasons in the WNBA, all with the Indiana Fever, but it took until her 11th year before she won a championship. A 10-time All-Star, Catchings was also 2012 WNBA Finals MVP and named to the league's 25th Anniversary Team in 2021. The Fever retired her No. 24 in 2017. Catchings isn't the only Indiana legend who has sent their support to Haliburton, who averaged 17.3 points, 8.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game during the 2025 playoffs. Advertisement 'I felt the gut punch to Pacer Nation, not only from the loss, but the loss of our fearless leader @tyresehaliburton. The man upstairs always has a master plan and 'this to shall pass,'' Reggie Miller wrote on Instagram. 'I'm very grateful of the @pacers TEAM for bringing so much pride, grit and togetherness back to Indiana basketball.. Masterful job on the sideline Coach Rick Carlisle, and let's not forget about all the men and women who work in the Front Offices who sacrifice a lot of their time to make things happen.. #OGProudPacer' Haliburton, for his part, broke his silence in a lengthy post via X, in which he showed his appreciation for Pacers fans and promised to 'do everything in my power to get back right.' Related: How Fever-Aces game made ESPN history Related: Sophie Cunningham rocks 'Tres Leches' shirt in support of Caitlin Clark, Lexie Hull
