Cappie Pondexter

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

She was born in Oceanside, California and raised in Chicago, Illinois.

Pondexter is known for her scrappy play, quick crossovers and midrange jumpshot.

The event was held in July 2000, when the USA team defeated Cuba to win the championship.

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

Pondexter attended college at Rutgers University.

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.

Source

Pondexter was selected second overall in the 2006 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury.

As a rookie, she was named to the western conference WNBA all star team.

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.

In 2007, alongside Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor, Pondexter played a key role in the Mercury's championship run, and was named 2007 WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player after averaging 22 points per game during the hard-fought five-game series.

After successful two seasons at Fenerbahçe, Pondexter signed with the UMMC Ekaterinburg club in the Russian Superleague, where she played during the winters of 2008–09 and 2009–10.

During the 2009 WNBA season, 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 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) history.

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

Pondexter played for John Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago where she was named a WBCA All-American.

In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA.

She signed again with Fenerbahçe Istanbul for the 2012–13, 2013–14 European seasons.

In February 2015, Pondexter was traded to the Chicago Sky for Epiphanny Prince.

In 2015, Pondexter signed with Beşiktaş JK for the 2015-16 European season.

In 2016, Pondexter was named in the WNBA Top 20@20, a list of the top 20 players of all-time in the WNBA in celebration of the league's twentieth anniversary.

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

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.

In 2018, Pondexter signed with the Los Angeles Sparks.

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.