The basketball world lost a superstar today as Hall of Famer Nikki McCray-Penson passed away. She was 51 years old.
Rutgers University, where McCray had been serving as an assistant this past year, confirmed via a spokesperson to the Knoxville News Sentinel of her passing. The cause of death has not yet been announced, but a second battle with cancer is believed to have been a major factor.
McCray has spent the last 17 years as a coach, with four seasons as a head coach – three at Old Dominion and one at Mississippi State. In 2020 she was voted the Conference USA Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Monarchs to a 24-6 record prior.
Former Lady Vols star Nikki McCray-Penson has died, a Rutgers spokesperson confirmed this morning.
McCray-Penson was inducted to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame for her decorated playing career. She was only 51 years old when she passed.https://t.co/SvW2ZIlRYe
— Cora Hall (@corahalll) July 7, 2023
As a player, Nikki McCray was a two-time SEC Player of the Year playing for the Tennessee Volunteers from 1991 to 1995. She went on to win two Olympic gold medals with Team USA and enjoyed a 10-year career in professional basketball, earning ABL MVP honors and three WNBA All-Star selections.
McCray was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.
Sadly, health issues became a recurring problem for McCray over the past decade. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 while serving on staff at South Carolina but went into remission later that year.
In 2021, McCray would resign as head coach of Mississippi State following another bout with health issues.
Our hearts go out to Nikki McCray-Penson’s family and loved ones.