Nikki McCray-Penson

Nikki McCray-Penson, American basketball player and coach (died 2023)

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Born: December 17, 1971
Died: July 7, 2023
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
Birth year: 1971

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. She won gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, and she participated on America's 1998 FIBA World Championship team. McCray-Penson was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Nikki McCray-Penson timeline

1996She won gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, and she participated on America's 1998 FIBA World Championship team.
2012McCray-Penson was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

The world when Nikki McCray-Penson was born

Nikki McCray-Penson was born in 1971. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1971

#1 song"Joy to the World" – Three Dog Night
Top movieThe French Connection
Top TV showAll in the Family
Best-selling bookThe Exorcist – William Peter Blatty

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentMuhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier "Fight of the Century"
Top headlinePentagon Papers published
Technology milestoneFirst email sent by Ray Tomlinson
Defining fadHot pants
Notable inventionEmail (Ray Tomlinson)
World population3.78 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderRichard Nixon
Sports championPittsburgh Pirates (World Series)
Also wonMilwaukee Bucks (NBA)
U.S. population207.7M

1971 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Nikki McCray-Penson's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1971	2026
Gas	$0.36	$3.45/gal
Average home	$18,100	$435,000
Average income	$11,800	$67,500
Minimum wage	$1.60	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$1.65	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.08	$0.73
Population	207.7M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, FIBA, Eurobasket, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.