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. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) history. She was inducted in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025.

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

Pondexter played for John Marshall Metropolitan High School 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. As a rookie, she was named to the western conference WNBA all star team.

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.

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. 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 for Epiphanny Prince.

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 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.

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: 2007, 2008 Turkish Cup: 2007 Turkish Presidents Cup: 2007, 2008 2006–07 FIBA Euro All-Star MVP UMMC Ekaterinburg (2008–12) Russian Championship: 2009, 2010 Russian Cup: 2009, 2010, 2011 Fenerbahçe Istanbul (2012–14) Turkish Championship: 2012, 2013 Turkish Presidents Cup: 2012, 2013

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.

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

In 2015, Pondexter signed with Beşiktaş JK 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. The event was held in July 2000, when the USA team defeated Cuba to win the championship. Pondexter averaged 6.6 points per game.

Controversy In March 2011, Pondexter drew controversy after posting comments on her Twitter account regarding the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.