Former American professional basketball player and Rutgers assistant coach Nikki McCray-Penson has died at the age of 51 years. Nikki McCray-Penson had won gold medals in the 1996 Olympics and 2000 Summer Olympics. Following which, Nikki McCray-Penson was the head coach for the women’s basketball team of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Over her sports career, McCray-Penson has played for numerous women basketball teams including the Washington Mystics, the Chicago Sky, the San Antonio Silver Stars, the Phoenix Mercury, among others.
McCray-Penson’s death was announced by the Rutgers women’s basketball program, which she had joined as an assistant coach for the season 2022-2023 under the head coachship of Coquese Washington. McCray-Penson had suffered from breast cancer back in 2013 but was cured.
She had resigned from the Mississippi State in 2021, which she had coached for the 2020-2021 season, at the time of her resignation, McCray-Penson had stated in an interview with Knoxville News Sentinel, that she had to resign not because of her battle with cancer, instead due to the mental drainage caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic. McCray-Penson’s cousin Robert Penson in a statement has informed that Nikki has died due to a resurgence of her breast cancer and related complications.
Basketball World Mourns The Death Of Nikki McCray-Penson
With the untimely death of Nikki McCray-Penson, the basketball world has paid their homage to her as they mourn of her loss. Her death particularly has saddened the women basketball world, due to her immense contributions in boosting women’s basketball. Mike Thibault, the general manager for the Washington Mystics, has stated in his condolence that the entire Washington Mystics family is saddened by the death of Nikki McCray-Penson. McCray-Penson is survived by her husband Thomas Penson and her son.
