Cappie Marie Pondexter (born January 7, 1983) is an American former professional

basketball player Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. She was born in Oceanside, California and raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois. Pondexter is known for her scrappy play, quick crossovers and midrange jumpshot. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA) history.

High school

While growing up in Chicago, Pondexter was a close friend of basketball star Dee Brown. Pondexter played for

John Marshall Metropolitan High School John Marshall Metropolitan High School (commonly known as simply Marshall) is a public 4–year high school located in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1895, Marshall is operated ...

in Chicago where she was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2001 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored sixteen points, and earned MVP honors.

College

Pondexter attended college at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

. She led the ''Scarlet Knights'' to a 97–22 record and back-to-back Big East Championships in 2005 and 2006. She competed in four NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2005. During the 2005–2006 season, Rutgers compiled a 27–5 record, including a 16–0 record in Big East Conference play. Pondexter took home several awards, including the 2006 Women's Basketball News Service National Player of the year. In her career, the guard scored over 2,000 points.

Rutgers statistics

Source

WNBA career

Pondexter was selected second overall in the

2006 WNBA Draft On November 16, 2005, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) held an expansion draft for the Chicago Sky. It was the first expansion draft since the 2000 season, when the WNBA welcomed the Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Indiana Fever, an ...

by the Phoenix Mercury. As a rookie, she was named to the western conference WNBA all star team. In 2007, alongside Diana Taurasi and

Penny Taylor Penelope Jane Taylor (born 24 May 1981) is an Australian retired professional basketball player and assistant coach. During her 19-year career, Taylor spent the most time with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, where she won three championships. ...

, Pondexter played a key role in the Mercury's championship run, and was named 2007

WNBA Finals The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the officia ...

Most Valuable Player after averaging 22 points per game during the hard-fought five-game series. During the

2009 WNBA season The 2009 WNBA Season was the 13th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is the first WNBA season without a Houston franchise, the Comets having folded in December 2008. The season ended with the Phoenix Mercury winning their s ...

, Pondexter became the first player in WNBA history to win three consecutive Western Conference Player of the week awards. She was also named to her third WNBA All-star team as a Western Conference reserve. At the end of the 2009 season, Pondexter helped the Mercury defeat the Indiana Fever 3 games to 2 to win the WNBA championship, the second title for the team in three years. In March 2010, Pondexter was traded to the New York Liberty as part of a three-team, multiplayer deal. Pondexter indicated in interviews that she had requested the trade. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA. In February 2015, Pondexter was traded to the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2 ...

for

Epiphanny Prince Epiphanny Prince (born January 11, 1988) is a Russian-American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Galatasaray of Turkey as well as the Russia women's national basketball ...

. In 2016, Pondexter was named in the

WNBA Top 20@20 WNBA Top 20@20 are the Women's National Basketball Association's Top 20 Players of All Time, chosen in 2016 on the occasion of the twentieth season of the WNBA from amongst 60 nominees compiled by the league. The group was to comprise the 20 best a ...

, a list of the top 20 players of all-time in the WNBA in celebration of the league's twentieth anniversary. In 2018, Pondexter signed with the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

. On June 28, 2018 Pondexter was released by the Sparks. On July 1, 2018, the Indiana Fever signed Pondexter to a free-agent contract. On April 16, 2019, Pondexter announced her retirement from the WNBA after 13 seasons in a post on Instagram.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 2006 , align="left" ,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 32 , , 32 , , 33.4 , , .442 , , .373 , , .853 , , 3.3 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 1.4 , , 19.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2007^† , align="left" ,

, 31 , , 31 , , 31.2 , , .431 , , .333 , , .815 , , 3.6 , , 4.0 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 2.2 , , 17.2 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, align="left" ,

, 32 , , 32 , , 31.3 , , .413 , , .313 , , .846 , , 3.7 , , 4.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 2.9 , , 21.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2009^† , align="left" ,

, 34 , , 34 , , 31.6 , , .460 , , .358 , , .881 , , 4.2 , , 5.0 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 2.5 , , 19.1 , - , align="left" , 2010 , align="left" , New York , 34 , , 34 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 34.3° , , .483 , , .430 , , .892 , , 4.5 , , 4.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 2.3 , , 21.4 , - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" , New York , 34 , , 34 , , 33.9 , , .402 , , .345 , , .815 , , 4.1 , , 4.7 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 2.7 , , 17.4 , - , align="left" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, align="left" , New York , 34 , , 34 , , 34.2 , , .435 , , .327 , , .867 , , 4.5 , , 4.3 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 3.1 , , 20.4 , - , align="left" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, align="left" , New York , 30 , , 30 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 34.2° , , .360 , , .369 , , .814 , , 4.5 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 3.4 , , 16.9 , - , align="left" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, align="left" , New York , 34 , , 34 , , 30.8 , , .388 , , .277 , , .769 , , 3.4 , , 3.9 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 2.6 , , 13.2 , - , align="left" , 2015 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 29 , , 29 , , 30.2 , , .439 , , .381 , , .824 , , 3.8 , , 2.1 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 1.4 , , 15.1 , - , align="left" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 33 , , 29 , , 27.4 , , .429 , , .362 , , .882 , , 2.8 , , 2.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 1.5, , 12.9 , - , align="left" ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 29 , , 15 , , 27.2 , , .367 , , .257 , , .795 , , 2.9 , , 4.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 2.3 , , 9.6 , - , align="left" , 2018] , align="left" , Los Angeles Sparks, Los Angeles , 13 , , 0 , , 10.3 , , .349 , , .000 , , .895 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , 2018 , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 17 , , 14 , , 24.2 , , .389 , , .393 , , .846 , , 2.4 , , 2.6 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 1.4 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, align="left" , Total , 30 , , 14 , , 18.2 , , .381 , , .367 , , .867 , , 1.9 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.9 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 13 years, 5 teams , 416 , , 382 , , 30.7 , , .422 , , .350 , , .842 , , 3.7 , , 3.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 2.3 , , 16.4

Postseason

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2007^† , align="left" ,

, 9 , , 9 , , 33.3 , , .463 , , .316 , , .873 , , 4.8 , , 5.8 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 1.8 , , 23.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2009^† , align="left" ,

, 11 , , 11 , , 30.9 , , .463 , , .250 , , .886 , , 3.6 , , 3.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.4 , , 18.2 , - , align="left" , 2010 , align="left" , New York , 5 , , 5 , , 37.2 , , .440 , , .480 , , .903 , , 4.2 , , 4.6 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 28.4° , - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" , New York , 3 , , 3 , , 34.7 , , .341 , , .214 , , 1.000 , , 5.0 , , 5.3 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , , 2.3 , , 14.3 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , New York , 2 , , 2 , , 33.0 , , .289 , , .100 , , 1.000 , , 4.5 , , 5.0 , , 2.5 , , 0.0 , , 1.5 , , 17.0 , - , align="left" , 2015 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 3 , , 1 , , 22.5 , , .308 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.6 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 5 , , 5 , , 28.1 , , .407 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 2.2 , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 7 years, 3 teams , 38 , , 36 , , 31.7 , , .427 , , .292 , , .908 , , 4.4 , , 4.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 1.7 , , 18.8

Overseas career

The 2006–07 campaign marked Cappie Pondexter's first campaign in Europe. She was a major contributor to the success of the Fenerbahçe Istanbul club. When her side's quarter-final match-up against Ros Casares was tied at 67, Pondexter scored the winning basket with just seconds remaining to lift Fenerbahçe to victory. In that same game, she registered 10 assists and 4 steals. Pondexter was among the top five in scoring throughout the season. * Fenerbahçe Istanbul (2006–08) **

Turkish Championship Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and ...

: 2007, 2008 **Turkish Cup: 2007 **Turkish Presidents Cup: 2007, 2008 ** 2006–07 FIBA Euro All-Star

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

UMMC Ekaterinburg BC Ekaterinburg (russian: БК «УГМК») is a Russian women's basketball team based in Yekaterinburg competing in the Russian Premier League, and until February 2022 in FIBA Europe's EuroLeague Women. In reaction to the 2022 Russian inv ...

(2008–12) **Russian Championship: 2009, 2010 **Russian Cup: 2009, 2010, 2011 * Fenerbahçe Istanbul (2012–14) **

: 2012, 2013 **Turkish Presidents Cup: 2012, 2013 After successful two seasons at Fenerbahçe, Pondexter signed with the

club in the Russian Superleague, where she played during the winters of 2008–09 and 2009–10. She signed again with Fenerbahçe Istanbul for the 2012–13, 2013–14 European seasons. In 2015, Pondexter signed with

Beşiktaş JK Beşiktaş () is a List of districts in Turkey, district and List of municipalities in Turkey, municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the ...

for the 2015-16 European season. In November 2016, Pondexter signed with Girne Üniversitesi for the 2016-17 European season.

USA Basketball

On the international stage, Pondexter was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar Del Plata,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. The event was held in July 2000, when the USA team defeated Cuba to win the championship. Pondexter averaged 6.6 points per game. Pondexter was named to the USA Women's U19 team which represented the USA in the 2001 U19 World's Championship, held in Brno, Czech Republic in July 2001. Pondexter scored 11.0 points per game, and helped the USA team to a 6–1 record and the bronze medal. Pondexter won gold medals with the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, 2005 World University Games, 2003 FIBA World Championship for Young Women, 2002 World Championship for Young Women Qualifying Tournament and 2000 Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament.

Awards and achievements

* 2003 Big East Rookie of the Year * 2006

Big East Player of the Year The Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award is given to the men's basketball player in the Big East Conference voted as the top performer by the conference coaches. It was first awarded at the end of the league's inaugural sea ...

* 2009 WNBA All-Star Selection

4 Seasons Style Management

Cappie started a style management company, 4 Seasons Style Management. 4 Seasons has now rebranded and moved to Los Angeles, California. While rebranding was happening in 2014, they continued to operate out of the New York headquarters.:

Controversy

In March 2011, Pondexter drew controversy after posting comments on her Twitter account regarding the devastating

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six mi ...

in Japan. Pondexter tweeted: "What if God was tired of the way they treated their own people in there own country! Idk guys he makes no mistakes." She later tweeted: "u just never knw! They did pearl harbor so u can't expect anything less." In response to the negative response to her comments, Pondexter replied: "I wanna apologize to anyone I may hurt or offended during this tragic time. I didnt realize that my words could be interpreted in the manner which they were people that knw me would tell u 1st hand im a very spiritual person and believe that everything, even disasters happen 4 a reason and that god will shouldnt be questioned. But this is a very sensistive subject at a very tragic time and I shouldnt even have given a reason for the choice of words I used. If youve lost respect for me thats totally fine but please dont let me or my words lose the respect of u the WNBA and what it stands for."

Notes

External links

Official WebsiteUSA Basketball BioBBALLX College and Pro ProfilePlayer Profile at ''fenerbahce.org''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pondexter, Cappie 1983 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball players from California Basketball players from Chicago Chicago Sky players Fenerbahçe women's basketball players LGBT basketball players LGBT people from California Lesbian sportswomen Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics New York Liberty players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Phoenix Mercury draft picks Point guards Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Oceanside, California Universiade gold medalists for the United States Universiade medalists in basketball Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars Medalists at the 2005 Summer Universiade