Former WNBA Star Nikki McCray-Penson Dies at 51

By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
Photos: Rutgers University, WNBA, Washington Mystics, Las Vegas Aces/Getty

Condolences are continuing to pour in for Nikki McCray-Penson, the former WNBA player who lost a battle with cancer on Thursday at the age of 51.

McCray-Penson was most recently the assistant coach at Rutgers University. Prior to that she was head women’s basketball coach at Mississippi State University. She spent nine years in the WNBA and was a 3-time All Star.

She was hired by legendary coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina in 2008 and was by her side until 2017, helping her lead the Gamecocks to their first NCAA championship in 2017, which was played in Dallas. Staley and McCray-Penson were also teammates on the 1996 U.S. Olympic team that led to the creation of the WNBA.

“It’s hard to think about Nikki’s passing because all I can see is how fully she lived,” said Staley in a statement. “From her days as a brash rookie in USA Basketball to becoming my friend and colleague to the way she mentored young players, Nikki did everything with her whole heart. Every teammate, every coach, every player who spent time with her knew first that she cared about them as a person, and everything else came from that place.

Staley’s statement continued: “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. I am heartbroken that cancer has taken that light from us, but I know that she would want us to be the ones to carry it on in her absence. I pray we all have the strength to do that for her and her son Lil Thomas.”

McCray-Penson was a two-time SEC Player of the Year for the Lady Vols  at Tennessee in 1994 and 1995. She led Tennessee to three SEC regular-season championships, two SEC Tournament titles and a 1995 Final Four appearance in her four-year career. McCray-Penson was a two-time All-American who was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

McCray-Penson played nine years in the WNBA for teams including the Washington Mystics, Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky and San Antonio Silver Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces). She was a 3-time All Star and scored 2,550 career points. She also played two seasons in the ABL before the WNBA was formed, where she won league MVP and an ABL championship with the Columbus Quest.

In a statement the Las Vegas Aces said: “The Las Vegas Aces were saddened to learn today of the passing of Tennessee, ABL, WNBA and Olympic legend Nikki McCray-Penson. A member of the 2005 San Antonio Silver Stars, Nikki was beloved by many as a teammate, coach, mentor, sister, and friend. Her achievements on the basketball court were eclipsed only by her commitment to community and improving the lives of those around her. Nikki’s smile, infectious positive energy and voice may be gone, but her memory will live on in our hearts forever.”

In addition to coaching at South Carolina, McCray-Penson spent two seasons at Western Kentucky and was head coach at Old Dominion (2017-20) and Mississippi State (2020-21). She spent last season as an assistant at Rutgers.