NFL
By: Zachary Draves
Nikki McCray-Preston was a renaissance woman who spurred on a renaissance.
When it came to basketball, she did it all. A top notch player, an effective coach, and a mentor to all those she came into contact with. She ultimately succeeded at the collegiate, professional, and international levels. Furthermore, she came along at just the right moment when women’s basketball was reaching extraordinary heights in the sporting and cultural landscape, which makes Friday’s news of her passing at the age of 51 from cancer all the more devastating.
McCray-Preston was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and took some time off for health reasons in 2021 while coaching at Mississippi State. She was recently an assistant coach at Rutgers University.
“Nikki had a big smile and an even bigger heart,” said Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington. “She was full of life, energy, and was so much fun to be around. Nikki touched the lives of many because she made it her mission to uplift others and help them achieve whatever dreams and goals they expressed. She was so devoted to her husband and son, and still gave all of herself to everyone in the program. We will miss her dearly but will keep Nikki’s memory alive in our hearts.”
Her first experience with greatness came during the years 1991-1995, when she played under legendary coach Pat Summitt at the University of Tennessee. In her first year at Knoxville, the Lady Vols won the national championship and lost in the 1995 Final Four to the undefeated Connecticut Huskies.
(Courtesy: Matthew Stockman/ALLS)
McCray-Preston’s coming out party came when she joined forces with Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, fellow Lady Vol Carla McGee, Rebecca Lobo, and Dawn Staley as part of the historic 1996 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball team that went 61-0 and won the gold medal in Atlanta. It was because of them that the WNBA came to be in 1997.
(Courtesy: WNBA.com)
She followed up with her second gold medal in Sydney in 2000 with that same core group in tact.
McCray-Preston’s played nine seasons in the WNBA (1998-2006) with the Washington Mystics, Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, San Antonio Stars, and the Chicago Sky. She even had a two season stint with the Columbus Quest of the American Basketball League (ABL) which included winning the MVP and league championship in 1997.
(Courtesy: NBA/Getty Images)
Her coaching career was just as vast as her years of playing. Over a 15 year span, she would coach at five universities. She was an assistant at Western Kentucky, South Carolina, and Rutgers and was head coach at Old Dominion and Mississippi State.
Under the guidance of Dawn Staley, McCray-Preston’s helped lead the Gamecocks to their first ever national championship in 2017 and an eventual basketball powerhouse. Among the players she coached was Aja Wilson, who was the national player of the year in 2017 before becoming a two WNBA MVP and 2022 WNBA champion.
(Courtesy: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
“It’s hard to think about Nikki’s passing because all I can see is how fully she lived,” said Staley in an official 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. … 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.”
Wilson took to twitter to post her tribute.
Heart hurts like crazy over this one!
such a fighter and a warrior with the sweetest gentle soul! Coach McCray you’ve helped me in many many ways and you were a true gift from God! Truly will be missed! No more suffering no more pain! God got a good one
#oranges pic.twitter.com/zRCu4zXXdv
— A'ja Wilson (@_ajawilson22) July 7, 2023
Nikki McCray-Preston will go down in history as one of basketball’s greatest multi-talents. Her presence was felt everywhere she went and met each generational moment. She loved the game and the game loved her right back.
