About Nikki McCray-Penson
Nikki Kesangane McCray-Penson (née McCray; December 17, 1971 – July 7, 2023) was an American basketball player and coach. She was the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball team from 2020 to 2021 and a professional basketball player from 1996 to 2006. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for eight seasons. In 2008 after leaving the WNBA, McCray joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. McCray-Penson was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. == Playing career == A 5-foot-11-inch (1.80 m) guard from the University of Tennessee, McCray was a star in the now-defunct American Basketball League. While playing in the American Basketball League, she was named Most Valuable Player for the 1996–97 season. McCray also played basketball at the international level. She won gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, and she participated on America's 1998 FIBA World Championship team. She made a name for herself in women's basketball as a world class defender by shutting down a number of the world's best players.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.