Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Nikki McCray-Penson has died at age 51, a Rutgers spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic on Friday. No cause of death was immediately provided.
McCray-Penson had been serving as an assistant coach for the Scarlet Knights women’s basketball team since 2022 after stepping down as head coach of Mississippi State due to health reasons.
During her standout collegiate playing career at Tennessee from 1991 to 1995, the two-time All-American point guard earned SEC Player of the Year honors twice as a junior and senior. She helped lead Pat Summit’s teams to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Final Four in 1995, as the Lady Vols compiled a 122-11 record during her career.
McCray-Penson went on to play nine seasons in the WNBA where she garnered three All-Star nods with the Washington Mystics and finished her career with 2,550 career points while averaging 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. On the international stage, McCray-Penson won two gold medals with Team USA at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics and another at the 1998 World Cup.
The Collierville, Tenn. native later rejoined her former Olympic teammate, Dawn Staley, as an assistant coach at South Carolina. She worked there from 2008-2017 and was part of the…
