INDIANAPOLIS – On the same day, March 1, that her autobiographical book will be released, WNBA superstar and three-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings will unveil a new website with plans for a Legacy Tour and shoe design contest during the 2016 WNBA season. She will begin her 15th and final active season in May.
Catchings, who hopes to match a USA Basketball record with a fourth gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August, will launch TamikaCatchings.com on March 1. Also beginning March 1 is the Tamika Catchings Legacy Tour Shoe Design Contest in which fans can help design, through NikeID, the shoes Catchings will wear during a 12-city Legacy Tour this summer, commemorating her final WNBA season.
During her final pro season, Catchings and her Catch The Stars Foundation will conduct a postgame fundraising party in each of the 12 cities she visits. Catchings will interact and sign autographs with fans while conducting an auction of various high-end Catchings items including the game-specific designed shoes she wore in the game that night.
With intentions of establishing a legacy of giving, and at the same time helping extend her Foundation into each of those cities for future events, the Catch The Stars Foundation will issue a $2,000 grant to a local community partner that promotes fitness, literacy and mentoring, similar to the Catch The Stars mission. The cost of attending each Catchings Legacy Party is $30. The first 75 registrants in each city will receive a Catchings Legacy Tour t-shirt.
Beginning March 1 at TamikaCatchings.com, fans will find specific directions on how to enter the contest to customize and design the ultimate Tamika Catchings basketball shoe! Submissions may include supporting materials such as photos or a personal video to promote designs. All entries must include a name, email address and an explanation of colors and meaning for each design.
Honoring the legacy of one of the WNBA’s greatest players, the 24-day contest ends at midnight on March 24. Twelve (12) designs will be selected and announced April 4, following the Tamika Catchings Shootout as part of NCAA Final Four Weekend in Indianapolis. Each of the 12 selected shoe designs will be produced, and Tamika will wear a different pair in each of her Legacy Tour stops across the WNBA.
Also announced on April 4 will be the dates of Catchings’ Legacy Tour. Due to local scheduling and team promotions in each city, Legacy Tour dates will not necessarily coincide with Tamika’s final game in that city.
Catch A Star: Shining Through Adversity to Become a Champion is the book Catchings co-authored with Ken Petersen, featuring an introduction from former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy. In Catch a Star, Catchings shares stories of her childhood, when her love for the game began. Growing up, Tamika suffered from profound hearing loss, bullying, and the anguish of her parents’ divorce. But she wasn’t about to allow those challenges determine her destiny. Through perseverance and God’s grace, Tamika became one of the top female basketball players of all time.
Catch the Stars Foundation was founded in 2004 to empower youth to achieve their dreams through goal-setting programs that promote fitness, literacy, and mentoring. The foundation meets needs through a specific emphasis on supporting and assisting under-served and low-to-moderate income communities throughout Indianapolis.