Now, more than ever, it is important to celebrate women and the contributions they have made.
AOL’s MAKERS platform is a compilation of over 4,500 videos and stories of over 400 women—including Lena Dunham, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey, and Hillary Clinton.
One of the videos that is in its debut is that of Tamika Catchings. In the video, she shared her story of how she grew up from humble beginnings, including dealing with speech and hearing issues and how she would be made fun of at school for them.
Catchings began to find her passion for basketball by the seventh grade, and channeled that into a confidence she could out work even the boys on the court.
That talent and confidence eventually translated into her accepting a full scholarship in 1997 to play for Pat Summitt at Tennessee.
Pat taught us we’re not just going to be great on the court. We’re going to be great in the classroom and we’re going to be even better in the community. And, ultimately, her goal for each one of us is, ‘I’m going to create great women.’
–Tamika Catchings
She overcame an ACL injury prior to her being drafted into the league. In 2012, she led the Fever to a WNBA championship. She was also recently named one of the WNBA’s 20 greatest players of all time, and in her final season as a player, won her fourth Olympic gold medal.
Catchings is continuing to give back to the community through her Catch the Stars Foundation.
I think about myself and all the people that helped get to where I’m at today. And, so, my thing is now, I want to do that. I want to give. I want to put smiles on people’s faces.
–Tamika Catchings
(Original Story: Shape Magazine)
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
