Mystics honor the late Nikki McCray-Penson in a heartwarming Hall of Fame ceremony
Mystics honor the late Nikki McCray-Penson in a heartwarming Hall of Fame ceremony originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
This past Sunday the Mystics hosted the Dallas Wings in what was a very emotional day for Washington’s organization. Aug. 20 will mark an essential day in Mystics history that goes beyond the game of basketball.
During halftime the team held a special ceremony honoring the late Nikki McCray-Penson, inducting her into the Mystics Hall of Fame.
It was a tear-filled day as former teammates, coaches, alumni, and members of the McCray and Penson families gathered at the Entertainment & Sports Arena to honor and induct the Mystics legend.
The emotional scenes captured included teammates sharing their own memories of Nikki, her husband, Thomas Penson, shedding tears while listening, and her son, Thomas Nikson Penson, counting down to the banner drop revealing his mother's name in the rafters.
Before her passing, Mike Thibault reached out to McCray-Penson asking her if she would accept her nomination into the Mystics Hall of Fame and without hesitation she humbly accepted.
So many wonderful stories and memories were shared by McCray-Penson’s former teammates, including Murriel Page, a fellow Mystics Hall of Famer.
Both went to Washington during the 1998 WNBA Draft. McCray-Penson was one of four players assigned to the Mystics as part of the initial player allocation process and was the third selection. When the regular WNBA Draft took place, Page was selected No. 3 overall by the organization.
Page recalls one of her fondest memories with “Tricky Nikki” while they were teammates in D.C. Leaving the arena, Page would stop at the top of the ramp leading out of the parking garage to greet fans.
“I would always stop at the top and sign autographs for every fan,” Page recalled. “The next day in practice Nikki would be like, ‘Page you’re holding up traffic’…I would say, Tricky Nikki, the only reason why I stop is so that all the fans can get your autograph, they really don’t want mine.”
Another heartfelt story shared during the ceremony came from another Mystics Hall of Famer, and fellow University of Tennessee alum, Chamique Holdsclaw. Holdsclaw was selected No. 1 overall by the team in 1999.
“Nikki, I just remember when I was a young kid, and I knew that I wanted to play this game, and I fell in love with the Tennessee Volunteers – and I never told her this because her head was too big,” Holdsclaw remembered. “There was a number 23 and I was just like, oh my god she’s so fast, I want to be like her…I wanted to be as fast as Nikki McCray.”
Even though McCray-Penson and Holdsclaw were never teammates at Tennessee, they are both proud alumni who found their way to each other through the Mystics. They had a friendship that grew stronger during their time in the District from 1999 through 2001.
McCray-Penson became the fourth member of the Mystics Hall of Fame joining Page, Holdsclaw, and the team’s first inductee Vicky Bullet.
The accomplishments echoed across the arena during a moving tribute video: Two-time SEC Player of the Year, ABL MVP, three-time WNBA All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist, Conference USA Coach of the Year.
“Thank you for your smile, your laugh, your words of wisdom,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said of her former Olympic teammate during her narration. “Thank you for this gift, for this legacy, thank you for being Nik Nik.”
