On Friday, the basketball world was shocked and heartbroken after learning about the passing of Nikki McCray-Penson.
She was 51.
McCray-Penson’s rise to stardom in the world of basketball began in her home state of Tennessee.
After dominating at Collierville High School, she attended the University of Tennesee and became a star for the Lady Vols. She was a two-time SEC Player of the Year (1994, 1995), won three SEC regular-season championships and two SEC Tournament titles and was a 2x All-American. In the 1994-95 season, she led Tennessee to the NCAA Championship game where the Lady Vols lost to the undefeated UConn Huskies. But her Tournament performance earned her All-Tournament honors.
In 1996, Nikki was named to the U.S. Olympic team, the squad which won Olympic gold and spurred the start of the WNBA a year later.
Before entering the WNBA, she played two seasons in the ABL and won league MVP and an ABL championship with the Columbus Quest. Then she played in the WNBA for nine years, becoming a 3x All-Star with a career average of 14.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 2.5 apg over her career.
She also played with the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, becoming a 2x gold medalist.
After finishing her professional playing career, McCray-Penson spent 16 years in coaching. She began in 2006 at Western Kentucky before Dawn Staley hired her at South Carolina, where she stayed from 2008-17 and was a part of the 2017 National Championship team. In 2013, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but that didn’t stop her. She then became a head coach at Old Dominion (2017-20) and Mississippi State (2020-21), where she was part of the movement calling for the state to adopt a new flag.
She took a year off to focus on her health and returned to the sidelines last season as an assistant coach at Rutgers under head coach and former Indiana Fever teammate, Coquese Washington.
“Nikki had a big smile and an even bigger heart. She was full of life, energy, and was so much fun to be around,” said Washington in a statement Friday. “Nikki touched the lives of many because she made it her mission to uplift others and help them achieve whatever dreams and goals they expressed. She was so devoted to her husband and son, and still gave all of herself to everyone in the program. We will miss her dearly but will keep Nikki’s memory alive in our hearts.”
Nikki’s passing was mourned by everyone she played and coached with, including her Olympic teammate, Dawn Staley.
“Her presence was something you could feel before you saw her because she had such light, such positive energy inside her no matter what was going on,” tweeted Staley.
McCray-Penson was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame in 2015, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
She is survived by her husband, Thomas Penson, and her son, Thomas Jr.
RIP Nikki McCray-Penson.
