All Things Basketball with GD - 2023 Season, Player Spotlight on Nikki McCray-Penson

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,120
Greetings my peeps and welcome to the All Things Basketball Podcast with me boy GD.

2
00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:20,400
In this episode I'll be doing a player spotlight on a player we recently lost, Nikki McCrae

3
00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:29,400
Pinson so I'll be covering all of her career and all her accolades and so forth so just sit

4
00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:33,600
back relax and enjoy the show.

5
00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:44,800
Okay guys so we are back with the All Things Basketball with GD podcast with

6
00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:50,360
yours truly and this episode I'll be bringing I'll be bringing with a bit of

7
00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:57,720
sadness it's about a player that was following someone who really just jumped

8
00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:02,800
off my screen her play on both ends of the court and the player that I'm

9
00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:08,960
talking about is Nikki McCrae who would later be known as Nikki McCrae Pinson

10
00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:16,360
so let us get into this episode shall we. I started watching women's basketball

11
00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:23,080
right around the time of Cheryl Miller and her exploits at USC she was there

12
00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:29,200
with the McGee twins and then of course Cynthia Cooper was there as well so I

13
00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:34,000
was watching them up until the time I entered college then once the college

14
00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:39,320
years took place once I got out of college I kind of got back into the

15
00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:43,920
men's and women's college basketball then I started to notice this team down in

16
00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:50,960
Knoxville Tennessee University of Tennessee lady vols lady volunteers under

17
00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:56,800
the guidance of the late great Pat summits so and then one of her players

18
00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:02,720
really caught my eye and that was Nikki McCrae at the time so let us get into it

19
00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:13,200
Nikki McCrae Pinson she was born December 17th 1971 and she was born in

20
00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:21,640
Tennessee and she grew to be 511 about 158 pounds and she was she was a guard

21
00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:27,240
she could swing between point guard and shooting guard depends on what the team

22
00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:33,840
needs she was that versatile guys and terms of her parents the one we know of

23
00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:41,280
is her mother Sally Coleman she is one of four children she's the oldest of the

24
00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:48,120
four and growing up in Collierville Tennessee which actually is outside of

25
00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:53,520
Memphis if you want to be accurate about 30 miles outside of Memphis is Collier

26
00:02:53,520 --> 00:03:00,200
ville and growing up there she wanted to be a track star and actually she ended

27
00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:05,360
up heading more towards basketball when she saw her cousins playing the game and

28
00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:11,440
of course seeing them play she wanted to be a part of that and they said no to her

29
00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:16,040
and then she went and told her grandmother which was known as Big

30
00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:22,800
Mommy and then her grandmother then said to her cousins if she can't play y'all

31
00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:28,920
can't play so that opened the door for Nikki to get into basketball and then

32
00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:34,960
that basically put the drive in her to prove herself on the court so it started

33
00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:39,440
early with her cousins and then just carried on throughout her playing career

34
00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:45,120
and that drive that was in her would follow her all throughout her life and

35
00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:52,960
will start with her local high school Collierville High School and while there

36
00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:58,240
as a four-year player this is what she would accomplish in the four years with

37
00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:06,480
the Collierville Lady Dragons three-time Tennessee All-State two-time Shelby

38
00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:14,480
Metro player of the year Tennessee class a a a miss basketball also she was a

39
00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:20,320
converse All-American as well as a parade All-American as a senior won the

40
00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:29,080
state championship in 1989 and then also her three thousand five hundred and

41
00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:35,720
ninety four points is the most by any player in the Memphis Shelby County High

42
00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:41,880
School area history whether it be male or female that's the most points she

43
00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:48,680
still holds four state records in high school girls basketball she is the most

44
00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:55,000
decorated student athlete in the history of Collierville High School so talk

45
00:04:55,000 --> 00:05:01,440
about making a name for yourself Nikki did just that so much so that they named

46
00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:08,520
a park after her in her hometown of Collierville so obviously Nikki off to

47
00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:13,960
a rousing start to her illustrious career basketball and of course her

48
00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:19,000
brilliance on the court attracted the attention of the legendary coach the

49
00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:24,840
great Pat Summit of the University of Tennessee Pat first saw Nikki play in

50
00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:30,640
the Tennessee State Tournament Nikki's passion for playing all-out defense

51
00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:37,080
court hats watchful eyes Pat knew she had to bring Nikki to her program which

52
00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:43,760
she did so Nikki stays within the state of Tennessee to play her college ball

53
00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:50,480
with Pat Summit and the Lady Vols of the University of Tennessee things though

54
00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:55,960
got off to a bit of a rocky start between Nikki and coach Summit Nikki's

55
00:05:55,960 --> 00:06:01,200
tardiness nearly got her kick off of the team early on but thanks to a talk

56
00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:06,980
that coach Summit had with Nikki's mom as well as getting her a watch help

57
00:06:06,980 --> 00:06:14,560
Nikki with her time management problems or issues so with that rectify Nikki was

58
00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:21,400
able to flourish at the University of Tennessee during her four years there the

59
00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:30,480
team compiled a 122 wins against 11 losses guys not to mention they only

60
00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:38,680
lost once once in the SEC while Nikki McCray was at the college there so talk

61
00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:45,120
about dominating your conference Nikki and the Lady Vols did just that also the

62
00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:52,680
team itself three SEC regular season championships two times they won their

63
00:06:52,680 --> 00:07:00,200
SEC tournament four times so all four years guys the Tennessee teams made the

64
00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:07,360
NCAA tournament twice making it to the sweet 16 once to the elite eight and

65
00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:14,480
then once to the NCAA finals which she did as a senior with that dynamic

66
00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:21,360
backcourt of Nikki McCray as well as Michelle Marciniak but that team would

67
00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:28,840
fall to the undefeated Yukon Lady Huskies coached by of course the legendary

68
00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:36,400
Geno Ari Emma and that team was led by player of the year Rebecca Lobo as well

69
00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:42,680
as Jim Rosati was on that team Carol Walters and then a freshman by the name

70
00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:49,880
of Nakesha Sales who was a terrific player Nikki's team lost to that juggernaut

71
00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:56,160
of a team in the finals which was her last game as a Tennessee Lady volunteer

72
00:07:56,160 --> 00:08:02,840
she would graduate from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science

73
00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:10,000
degree in sports marketing and education so Pat Summit always making sure her

74
00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:16,920
players get that degree as they leave the University which Nikki did following

75
00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:24,640
her illustrious college career she was chosen for the 1996 well it was the

76
00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:30,360
national team at the time it was the national team that would go on to tour

77
00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:36,520
for about 10 months before going to the Olympics which was actually held in

78
00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:43,720
Atlanta and then this team was coached by the great Tara Vandevere I just

79
00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:51,760
finished watching the 30 for 30 on that team dream on and man Tara Vandevere she

80
00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:57,720
was tough on them man could gracious anyway I digress but on that team that

81
00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:06,160
legendary team had such dynamic players such as Lisa Leslie Dawn Staley Teresa

82
00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:13,920
Edwards Cheryl Swoops Rebecca Lobo she was on that team Jennifer A. Z. Rufi

83
00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:23,960
Bolton Katrina McLean Carla McGee K. Stading and then later Venus Lacey to

84
00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:30,000
round out the 12 ladies on that team and as I said they played together for about

85
00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:38,160
10 months up into the 1996 Atlanta Olympics they would go undefeated by the

86
00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:44,120
way because what they ended up doing they toured the college teams thus

87
00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:49,080
including the University of Tennessee where Nikki played but they went all

88
00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:55,800
over the place guys Nikki would go on to play in other national teams as well

89
00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:01,720
including the 1998 national team that played for the World Cup in Germany and

90
00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:08,800
also the 2000 team that went to Sydney in the Olympics and that team was coached

91
00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:16,000
by Nell Fortner and the players on that team Lisa Leslie returned as well as

92
00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:23,640
Dawn Staley Rufi Bolton Teresa Edwards Cheryl Swoops a few more players came on

93
00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:31,240
like Yolanda Griffith Delisha Milton Jones Katie Smith Natalie Williams Carol

94
00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:37,560
Walters and a young lady by the name of Shamiko Hozklauer who actually did not

95
00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:42,920
play because she had an injury at the time Nikki McCrae making the rounds with

96
00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:51,160
the international teams that iconic 1996 team actually it paved the way for not

97
00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:58,600
just one but two women's leagues here on US soil one was the WNBA which was

98
00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:04,680
backed by the NBA obviously and then another league was the ABL so you had

99
00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:10,480
players who made the choice between one or the other and early on Nikki McCrae

100
00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:17,200
she played in the ABL and choosing the ABL she ends up joining the Columbus

101
00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:23,640
Quest team and that was a team coached by Brian Agler and also on that team was

102
00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:30,720
Katie Smith Tonya Edwards who would later become the player coach that was

103
00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:35,880
few seasons later and also on that team Valerie Still

104
00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:42,480
Nikki McCrae ends up winning the league MVP in her one season there and oh by the

105
00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:49,040
way her team won the inaugural ABL championship Nikki McCrae making her

106
00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:56,000
imprint on the ABL but Nikki left the Columbus team and she would join the WNBA

107
00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:02,240
as a cornerstone player for the Washington Mystics and she joined them in

108
00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:10,480
1998 via the allocation draft that's how she made it to the Mystics she spent

109
00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:16,440
four seasons there was a three-time All-Star she did get traded though to

110
00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:24,760
the Indiana fever after the 2001 season she stayed in Indiana for two seasons

111
00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:30,720
and then over the course of three years she signed as a free agent with first

112
00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:36,160
Phoenix the Phoenix Mercury and then the San Antonio Silver Stars who would

113
00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:42,240
later become the Las Vegas aces and then the last team she played with was the

114
00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:48,320
Chicago Sky throughout Nikki's career she played with the likes of these players

115
00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:56,160
in Washington she played with Shamiko Hoseclaw, Mario Page, Valerie Still who

116
00:12:56,160 --> 00:13:04,320
was her teammate in the ABL, also Andrea Nagy and Vicki Bullitt then with the

117
00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:09,440
Indiana fever she would play with the likes of Tamika Catchings another

118
00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:18,120
University of Tennessee Lady Val, Bridget Pettis, Kokis Washington, Neale Ivey,

119
00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:24,760
Stephanie White and Natalie Williams when she went to Phoenix she played with

120
00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:32,040
of course player who's still playing today Diana Terase also with Penny Taylor

121
00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:38,640
and then when she went to Chicago she played with Stacy Dales we know Stacy

122
00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:47,400
Dales now as a NFL reporter for various networks and also Candice Depri she

123
00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:57,120
played with in Chicago so Nikki's plan career ends in 2006 but she would then

124
00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:03,680
embark on her coaching career and she would start as an assistant coach with

125
00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:09,600
the University of Western Kentucky while there at University of Western

126
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:16,080
Kentucky she stayed there two seasons but she would then be joined with her

127
00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:22,400
good friend and former Olympic teammate Dawn Staley who asked her to join Dawn

128
00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:28,880
as she embarked on this new job which was at the University of South Carolina

129
00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:34,840
Nikki McCraig joined her friend Dawn at the University and stayed there for nine

130
00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:42,040
years starting in 2008 together with Dawn this is what they would do during

131
00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:48,760
their time together three times SEC tournament champions four times SEC

132
00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:54,640
regular season champs six times they made it to the tournament five times they

133
00:14:54,640 --> 00:15:01,400
made it to the sweet 16 four times to the lead eight twice to the final four and

134
00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:10,720
one championship culminating in 2017 Nikki was a huge help to Dawn especially

135
00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:16,880
with her basketball camps and just being a mentor to the young ladies there at

136
00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:23,200
the University of South Carolina so after winning the national championship in

137
00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:30,440
2017 Nikki takes a head coaching position at Old Dominion University and

138
00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:37,960
while she was there for three years her record would be in the first year eight

139
00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:43,580
and 23 so she had kind of a rough start there but turned things around her

140
00:15:43,580 --> 00:15:50,560
second season they go 21 and 10 thus making it to the women's in IT and then

141
00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:57,000
her best season team went 24 and 6 but unfortunately they were unable to make

142
00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:05,040
any postseason because that was the year 2019-20 and we know in 2020 the

143
00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:11,360
pandemic came so that eliminated all tournaments at that time so Nikki's

144
00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:17,520
team was robbed of an opportunity of making it to the NCAA tournament after

145
00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:23,760
that season Nikki left Old Dominion and decided to take a job with Mississippi

146
00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:31,720
State University while at Mississippi State her team went 10 and 9 remember

147
00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:37,720
that's kind of a abbreviated season because of COVID still and just before

148
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:43,800
her second season with the school Nikki decides to resign due to health reasons

149
00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:49,280
and those health reasons were pretty much the fallout from the pandemic and

150
00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:56,200
how it was such a strain physically and mentally on her the staff and the players

151
00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:03,520
as well so Nikki leaves the University and she takes some time away from the

152
00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:09,000
game but eventually she would get a call from her former teammate with the

153
00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:15,040
Indiana Fever co-keeps Washington who convinces Nikki to join her at Rutgers

154
00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:20,960
University to be one of her assistant coaches which Nikki agreed to do so

155
00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:28,280
Nikki ends up joining her teammate and friend with Rutgers University so that

156
00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:34,640
is her playing and coaching career in a nutshell now let's talk about her

157
00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:39,040
personal life here Nikki and her husband to be Thomas

158
00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:44,560
Benson they met on the campus of Knoxville Tennessee while Nikki was

159
00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:50,960
playing for the Lady Vols Thomas would propose to Nikki during her tour with

160
00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:57,600
the US women's national team in 1996 actually when they played an exhibition

161
00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:04,520
game against Pat summits Lady Vols at the time and she said yes so right then and

162
00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:10,000
there they were engaged and then they would eventually get married on March

163
00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:18,360
30th 2002 and this was just prior to her first season with the Indiana Fever so

164
00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:24,720
Nikki and Thomas ties the knot they were welcomed their son Thomas Nixon

165
00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:32,800
Benson into the world February of 2013 so now you have the family unit there

166
00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:41,520
Nikki Thomas and little Thomas now let's talk about her health later that year

167
00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:48,200
the year that she had her son in 2013 Nikki would be diagnosed with breast

168
00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:55,880
cancer and the thing was she usually goes for a yearly checkup but while she

169
00:18:55,880 --> 00:19:03,240
was pregnant with Thomas she had skipped that year because she was having to have

170
00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:09,400
prenatal care and all those things but she would be diagnosed with breast cancer

171
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:16,720
her mom Sally Coleman would travel from Collierville Tennessee all the way to

172
00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:22,200
Columbia South Carolina which is where Nikki was at at the time when she was

173
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:27,920
assistant coach with Dawn Staley with the University of South Carolina so she

174
00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:33,560
would drive back and forth to help care for Nikki while she was dealing with her

175
00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:41,000
breast cancer and Sally herself was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 so

176
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:47,280
here her mom is who was diagnosed and she was traveling back and forth to Cedar

177
00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:55,520
her daughter Nikki Nikki's cancer went into remission later in 2013 and into

178
00:19:55,520 --> 00:20:03,680
full remission in 2017 her mom Sally's cancer actually she was diagnosed in

179
00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:11,080
2008 she had went into remission for a time but her cancer came back in 2018 and

180
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:18,680
then the prognosis given for her was not good guys then Nikki would make her

181
00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:24,600
trips back home from Norfolk Virginia where she was coaching at Old Dominion

182
00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:30,880
she would make the trip from there back home to Collierville Tennessee to care

183
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:36,200
for her mom so she would make those trips there and that was during that

184
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:41,200
first season so now you kind of understand you know the record and so forth

185
00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:47,480
in that regard Sally would pass four months later after the diagnosis so her

186
00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:56,480
mom passes in 2018 now Nikki's cancer came back later and during about with

187
00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:03,320
pneumonia Nikki would pass away July 7th in the evening in a hospital is where

188
00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:10,640
Nikki McCrae-Penson would pass away she was 51 years old at the time of her

189
00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:18,480
passing so of course condolences to the family for losing Nikki in such a way so

190
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:25,200
guys that is her story pretty much I'll give you her accolades of course and

191
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:32,280
then I'll give you in her words and then I'll give you in words of others let's

192
00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:39,400
get into her accolades a two-time SCC player of the year a three-time all

193
00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:47,880
SCC player twice on the first team and then once on the second team two-time

194
00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:54,560
Kodak all-American two-time Naismith all-American she was also named to the

195
00:21:54,560 --> 00:22:03,800
NCAA all final four team in 1995 and she was also named the NCAA Mideast region

196
00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:11,960
most outstanding player also in 1995 as I mentioned when she was in the ABL she

197
00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:19,440
was named the MVP of the league that was in 1996-97 she was a three-time all

198
00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:27,560
star in the WNBA and all three times was with the Washington Mystics team she's

199
00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:36,480
a three-time gold medalist first in 1996 in the Atlanta Olympics and then in

200
00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:42,360
1998 with the World Cup team playing in Germany she would get a gold medal there

201
00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:50,120
and then in 2000 with the national team that played in the Sydney Olympics that

202
00:22:50,120 --> 00:23:00,600
summer also she won a FIBA America's championship in 1993 that was her first

203
00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:06,720
taste of international play by the way guys as a coach she was the conference

204
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:14,280
USA's coach of the year in 2020 that's the year that her team went 24 and 6 but

205
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:21,680
did not have a postseason she also was one of the coaches with the USA under

206
00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:31,640
19 and Pan Am Games team trials in 2019 and there she reunited with D'Leisha

207
00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:39,680
Milton Jones who was also a coach on that squad as well so she was chosen to be a

208
00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:45,200
keynote speaker by the Library of Congress for the Women's History Month

209
00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:53,840
Address in 1999 and in 2000 President Clinton selected Nikki to the

210
00:23:53,840 --> 00:24:01,720
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports her inductions include the

211
00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:08,440
Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall

212
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:14,280
of Fame in 2004 the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame she was part of the class

213
00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:23,400
of 2012 the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 the National High

214
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:31,560
School Hall of Fame in 2015 and upon her passing and she actually agreed to this

215
00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:37,320
prior to her passing she spoke with Mike Tibbalt of the Washington Mystics and

216
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:42,480
she will be inducted into the Washington Mystics Hall of Fame this coming

217
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:49,000
August actually on August 20th she will be inducted into their Hall of Fame so

218
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:56,040
guys that's all the accolades for Nikki McCrae-Penson next I will give you in

219
00:24:56,040 --> 00:25:02,520
her own words and then I'll give you the words of others this is from her Twitter

220
00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:09,320
account when she was dealing with all she was dealing with and this was October

221
00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:19,120
13th 2021 this was shortly after she left the Mississippi State job thank you

222
00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:25,000
for all the prayers truly grateful for all the support I'm doing great to God

223
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:31,240
be the glory that's what Nikki wrote on her Twitter account and she did a

224
00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:37,720
retweet of a quote which pretty much tells you about the resilience of Nikki

225
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:43,840
McCrae whatever's worrying you right now forget about it take a deep breath be

226
00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:50,600
positive and know that things will get better and that's on Twitter which was

227
00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:57,880
done May 22nd of this year so Nikki always saw herself as a servant leader

228
00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:03,920
as a coach she always wanted to serve those young ladies and be there as a

229
00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:11,600
mentor as a guide as they further their athletic career and also their

230
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:18,400
academic career so she was one of those type of mentors guys she also would say

231
00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:25,640
you can't let cancer define you and she was one who never let that be the

232
00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:32,240
definition of who she was great teams are built on trust communication in a

233
00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:39,320
shared vision also character and integrity are just as important as skill

234
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:45,960
in talent success comes from hard work dedication and a relentless pursuit of

235
00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:52,280
excellence here's another quote from her when you play for a great coach and

236
00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:57,680
they impact your life in so many ways now there are a lot of her players that

237
00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:03,840
coach in this league and a lot of her players who coach in general she's left

238
00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:09,920
a legacy and women's basketball in a tree of coaches who carry on her tradition

239
00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:17,160
and this was Nikki McCrae speaking about her late coach Pat Summit now this is

240
00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:22,560
her speaking on her time at the University of South Carolina being able

241
00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:28,040
to be in the midst of that and being able to learn from every opportunity you've

242
00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:34,560
been given and to be able to grow and be in a position to facilitate that that to

243
00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:39,920
me has been wonderful now this is her speaking on the sneaker with her name

244
00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:47,120
on it the feline Nikki Delta it was about impact I recognize how Cheryl shoe

245
00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:53,000
really impacted the lives of young girls and boys it was just so inspiring

246
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:59,080
because you saw trends changing it was a amazing feeling to finally put my

247
00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:06,920
signature shoe on in a game and then the last one this is when she was selected

248
00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:12,480
for the president's council on physical fitness and sports it's an honor to be

249
00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:18,160
named as a member of the council sports have played a significant role

250
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:23,520
throughout my life and I am excited to have the opportunity to promote the

251
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:28,680
importance of physical fitness across the country and to be a positive role

252
00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:35,040
model to our nation's youth alright guys so we're gonna have some statements

253
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:41,880
about her passing from many different people and many different organizations

254
00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:48,400
and so forth so let us get started this is from the town of Collierville in

255
00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:54,480
Tennessee her hometown the town is sat into here about the passing of Nikki

256
00:28:54,480 --> 00:29:00,600
McCrae-Penson Nikki was one of the greatest athletes in the town's history

257
00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:05,960
who started her basketball career at Collierville High School then became a

258
00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:13,960
college all-american WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalists so that's

259
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:20,880
the town of Collierville this is from Lady Vols basketball heartbroken to learn

260
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:26,360
of Nikki McCrae-Penson's passing Nikki was a force and women's basketball both

261
00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:31,760
as a player and as a coach and was a beloved member of the Lady Vols

262
00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:37,120
sisterhood our thoughts and prayers are with her family she will be solely miss

263
00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:43,600
so that's Lady Vols basketball our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of a

264
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:50,640
beloved Lady Vol we also offer our love and sincere condolences to her family

265
00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:55,760
friends and colleagues across the country Nikki had a bright and loving

266
00:29:55,760 --> 00:30:00,920
personality and touched the lives of everyone she met her kind and gentle

267
00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:05,960
spirit will be missed this is a statement from Tennessee women's basketball

268
00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:12,280
head coach Kelly Harper who was previously Kelly Jolly this is from

269
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:17,200
Samantha Williams Tennessee women's basketball assistant coach and recruiting

270
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:24,280
coordinator a champions champion my deepest sympathies and prayers and to

271
00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:29,600
Nikki's family she was one of the good ones your Tennessee family loves you and

272
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:37,400
will miss you thank you for being a friend hashtag L V F L which means Lady

273
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:46,280
Vol for life now this statement here is from Nikki McCrae-Penson's Lady Vol

274
00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:53,320
teammate Michelle Marciniac I have such great memories of Nikki but it is as my

275
00:30:53,320 --> 00:31:00,040
teammate first and foremost I got to experience the real Nikki McCrae she was

276
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:06,640
fiercely competitive but she always had a smile on her face I'm always going to

277
00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:14,240
consider her a bright light in my life we had these 4 30 a.m. track workouts where

278
00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:19,240
we had to qualify for the mile I always tried to stay with Nikki as much as I

279
00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:24,400
could I finally got in the kind of shape where I said I'm gonna stay with her

280
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:30,320
today I was doing well and hanging with her through two and a half laps of the

281
00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:36,760
four we had to run she turns and says you good Shelly shell I said yeah I'm

282
00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:42,560
great Nick she said okay I'll see you at the finish she then went into another

283
00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:48,240
mode and I was huffing and puffing and I still finished about two minutes behind

284
00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:54,680
her she loved to run so did I but I couldn't run like Nikki there was a

285
00:31:54,680 --> 00:32:02,000
reason she was a two-time Olympian three-time WNBA all-star and two-time

286
00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:07,280
SEC player of the year she knew how to compete and push her teammates to be

287
00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:13,880
their best this is a sad day I'm really going to miss her and that is Michelle

288
00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:19,640
Marcini act her teammate at the University of Tennessee here's another

289
00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:25,560
teammate of hers Abby Conklin this is such sad news it breaks my heart to

290
00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:31,000
hear this Nikki was such a wonderful person she took me under her wing the

291
00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:36,160
summer going into my junior year and she had such a huge impact on my playing

292
00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:41,680
career she took me to the gym with her to do her non-stop run everywhere

293
00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:49,760
shooting workouts I remember a few times we went she ran my behind around that

294
00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:54,840
court I felt like I was running in place and couldn't lift my feet off the ground

295
00:32:54,840 --> 00:33:00,880
she would laugh at me but I started getting it and she made me so much better

296
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:07,520
in true McCray fashion she had already run three miles lifted weights and done

297
00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:12,440
whatever else before we came to the gym to work out and she still ran me into

298
00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:17,400
the ground but she was special like that she was one of the best to play the

299
00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:22,480
game I love being her teammate and looking up to her as a younger player

300
00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:31,040
and that is from Abby Conklin this is from former Tennessee women's basketball

301
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:36,800
head coach Holly Warwick who actually recruited and coach Nikki while she was

302
00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:42,880
assistant with Pat Summit it's really a sad day and I'm trying to get past the

303
00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:47,760
shock of it Nikki was one of the best high school players in Tennessee history

304
00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:53,640
and she had to overcome adversity just to play college basketball she had a lot

305
00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:58,600
of God-given talent but she was an incredible worker and played the game

306
00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:05,160
hard in both practice and in games you don't always see that she was resilient

307
00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:11,280
and was a great leader especially by the examples she set on a daily basis that

308
00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:15,960
included her infectious smile which was always present and made you think she

309
00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:21,640
never had a bad day even when things might have been tough I remember Nikki

310
00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:30,640
for every one of those reasons and that is from coach Holly Warwick next quote

311
00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:38,160
is from social media posts from Tennessee forward Ricky Jackson who previously

312
00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:43,600
played for Nikki at Mississippi State but she ended up transferring to Tennessee

313
00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:49,640
my heart is so heavy one of the most beautiful souls I've ever met the one

314
00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:55,120
who genuinely went out of their way to understand me when I was so misunderstood

315
00:34:55,120 --> 00:35:02,600
the one who was always there you fought so hard and long and I am grateful to have

316
00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:10,360
known you I love you rest easy and that is from Ricky Jackson this is from

317
00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:16,800
Tennessee women's athletic director emeritus Joan Cronan the University of

318
00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:21,760
Tennessee and the world has lost a special lady our prayers are with her

319
00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:28,240
husband Thomas son Thomas and her extended family Nikki was not only an

320
00:35:28,240 --> 00:35:34,840
outstanding player but she was a great leader coach teacher and mother I can't

321
00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:39,520
say enough wonderful things about what she gave to the world and how we all

322
00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:46,560
benefited from her presence all of us in the UT community are deeply sat in by

323
00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:52,280
Nikki's passing and she'll always have a special place in our hearts and that's

324
00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:58,880
from Joan Cronan this is from Laquisha Sutton a former South Carolina player

325
00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:07,400
from 2008 to 2012 amazing player beautiful person so passionate so caring

326
00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:15,120
going to miss you so much coach Nikki McCrae at WNBA at USA basketball was

327
00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:21,440
lucky to have you and that is from Laquisha Sutton this is from Tiffany

328
00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:29,480
Mitchell another former South Carolina player from 2012 to 2016 wearing pink

329
00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:34,360
was more than a color really watching her fight and still have the energy to

330
00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:40,840
coach and give to others will never forget the impact she's had on my life

331
00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:47,800
rest easy coach and that's from Tiffany Mitchell this is from Asia Wilson of

332
00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:55,880
course another former South Carolina player and that was from 2013 to 2017

333
00:36:55,880 --> 00:37:02,880
part of that championship ball club and currently WNBA MVP as well as champion

334
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:09,600
my heart hurts like crazy over this one broken heart emoji such a fighter in a

335
00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:16,160
warrior with the sweetest gentle soul coach McCrae you've helped me in many

336
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:22,880
many ways and you were a true gift from God truly will be missed no more

337
00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:30,800
suffering no more pain God got a good one heart emoji hashtag oranges and

338
00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:37,640
that's from Asia Wilson this is from Stanford women's basketball head coach

339
00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:45,520
Tara Vanderveer who coached her during the 1996 Olympics I am devastated by the

340
00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:52,080
passing of Nikki McCrae she was an outstanding competitor and teammate she

341
00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:56,480
won a gold medal in the Olympics but more importantly she was a gold medal

342
00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:02,240
person my thoughts and prayers are with Thomas and her family now this is from

343
00:38:02,240 --> 00:38:09,680
now Fortner Georgia Tech's women's basketball head coach and she was Nikki's

344
00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:16,640
2000 Olympic team head coach the sadness of today after learning of Nikki's

345
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:22,120
passing has been incredibly hard to reconcile Nikki McCrae was one of the

346
00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:27,240
most dynamic athletes I have ever coached she had quickness whether she was

347
00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:32,320
running up and down a basketball court or lateral lead defending and shutting down

348
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:38,160
some of the world's best female basketball players her quick smile beautiful

349
00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:43,720
singing voice and competitiveness are attributes I will remember forever rest

350
00:38:43,720 --> 00:38:50,200
in sweet peace Nikki and that is from coach Nell Fortner here's another coach

351
00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:57,240
Suzy Merchant a retired coach at Michigan State actually they coached together on

352
00:38:57,240 --> 00:39:05,640
that 2019 USA basketball trials team heartbreaking to hear this news had the

353
00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:11,200
honor of coaching the 2019 USA basketball team with this beautiful soul

354
00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:17,600
Nikki McCrae-Pinson a smile that lit up the gym full of passion and love for our

355
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:22,480
game and everyone she met sending thoughts and prayers to her entire

356
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:29,160
family rest easy friend and that's from coach Suzy Merchant this is from Kyra

357
00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:35,720
Elsie a former University of Tennessee player and current University of Kentucky

358
00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:42,080
head coach my heart is heavy broken heart emoji heaven gained a true angel

359
00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:48,960
please keep Nikki's family in prayer rest in peace to one sweet and beautiful

360
00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:54,600
soul and that's from Kyra Elsie this is from Natalie Williams a teammate of

361
00:39:54,600 --> 00:40:01,920
hers former UCLA and WNBA baller now she's in the front office with the Las

362
00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:10,480
Vegas aces and she was Nikki's teammate on the 2000 Sydney Olympics team such a

363
00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:15,840
special soul a great teammate and friend rest in peace Nikki heart emoji and

364
00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:22,200
that's from Natalie Williams this is from coach Sheo as she's known but she's

365
00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:27,600
Yolette McEwen I've been struggling to find the right words with the passing of

366
00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:33,400
my friend and sister Nikki McCrae this woman has been a beacon of light and

367
00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:39,720
hope and I will be forever grateful for her lessons prayers and love we lost a

368
00:40:39,720 --> 00:40:45,240
great person and gained the angel rest in heaven flying dove in broken heart

369
00:40:45,240 --> 00:40:52,120
emoji too soon and that is from coach Yolette Keon the University of

370
00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:58,320
Mississippi head coach women's head coach that is this is from Jennifer Az

371
00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:05,040
former Stanford standout and champion as well as Nikki's former Olympic teammate

372
00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:11,080
is taking all day to get my head around the unbelievable loss of Nikki McCrae

373
00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:16,360
I prayed tonight with my son and he couldn't understand why she went to

374
00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:22,040
heaven neither can I Nikki was the best teammate and all I could see is her

375
00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:27,440
smile I'm just in shock I love you Nikki praying hand emoji and that is from

376
00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:35,240
Jennifer Az this is from coquise Washington Rutgers head coach and Nikki

377
00:41:35,240 --> 00:41:42,080
McCrae's former teammate with the ENF fever and also Nikki was on her staff at

378
00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:48,080
Rutgers Nikki touched the lives of many because she made it her mission to

379
00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:53,920
uplift others and help them achieve whatever dreams and goals they expressed

380
00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:59,560
she was so devoted to her husband and son and still gave all of herself to

381
00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:04,960
everyone in the program we will miss her dearly but we'll keep Nikki's memory

382
00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:11,920
alive in our hearts and that's from coach coquise Washington this is from

383
00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:18,520
South Carolina women's basketball that's their page on Twitter our program

384
00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:24,320
our sport and most importantly her family has lost an amazing woman mother

385
00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:32,400
wife daughter sister friend coach mentor today Nikki McCrae penson was part of

386
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:40,440
our foundation and made us the program we are one personal rate one personal

387
00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:47,000
relationship at a time and that is from South Carolina women's basketball this

388
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:52,680
is from her good friend South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn

389
00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:59,640
Staley who was her teammate in Olympics twice and of course her assistant

390
00:42:59,640 --> 00:43:04,840
head coach at the University of South Carolina is with the heaviest of hearts

391
00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:11,240
I have to post this thank you my little sister my friend my Foxhole partner my

392
00:43:11,240 --> 00:43:17,160
teammate my fast food snacker my basketball junkie my fellow Olympian

393
00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:24,200
my gold medalist and now my angel God's got you now suffer no more Nick Nick

394
00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:30,560
heart emoji it's hard to think about Nikki's passing because all I can see is

395
00:43:30,560 --> 00:43:37,760
how she fully lived from her days as a brash rookie in USA basketball to becoming

396
00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:43,000
my friend and colleague to the way she meant her young players Nikki did

397
00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:48,080
everything with her whole heart every teammate every coach every player who

398
00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:52,240
spent time with her knew first that she cared about them as a person and

399
00:43:52,240 --> 00:43:58,120
everything else came from that place her presence was something you could feel

400
00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:03,880
before you saw her because she had such a light such a positive energy inside

401
00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:08,840
her no matter what was going on I am heartbroken that cancer has taken that

402
00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:14,920
light from us but I know that she will want us to be the ones to carry it on

403
00:44:14,920 --> 00:44:22,000
in her absence I pray we all have the strength to do that for her and her son

404
00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:29,640
little Thomas and that is from coach Dawn Staley and then one of the things

405
00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:35,400
that Nikki did and this was about couple months after she got the Mississippi

406
00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:42,280
State job as the head coach she gave this courageous speech at the Mississippi

407
00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:46,920
State Capitol advocating for the removal of the state flag which was the

408
00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:51,960
Confederate flag she had only been a head coach over there for a few months but

409
00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:58,880
she stood in the moment and stood tall in the moment and that was written by

410
00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:05,080
Sean Hurd of ESPN he's a women's basketball writer and he chronicled

411
00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:12,960
that moment and the last quote I'll leave you with is from Dawn Staley just

412
00:45:12,960 --> 00:45:18,520
talking about Nikki McCrae and her desire that was instilled in her from her

413
00:45:18,520 --> 00:45:24,840
days under the wing of coach Pat Summit. Nikki's hungry for success and that comes

414
00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:28,520
from playing at Tennessee where the coach never settles for anything less than

415
00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:33,680
being number one at whatever she's doing that mentality is instilled in Nikki and

416
00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:39,320
I want people like that around me she is energetic confident and engaging all the

417
00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:43,440
qualities that you need when you're coaching and recruiting we spent two

418
00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:48,720
Olympic games together and have shared being successful in the very best arena

419
00:45:48,720 --> 00:45:55,080
there is to test yourself and that is from her colleague in coaching and her

420
00:45:55,080 --> 00:46:00,320
good friend as well as Olympic teammate coach Dawn Staley I thought I'd leave

421
00:46:00,320 --> 00:46:07,840
that as the last quote with that said Nikki McCrae-Penson we salute you you

422
00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:13,120
one of the best two-way players that I've seen way you defend it in those

423
00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:19,880
Olympics I watched those Olympics every single game in 1996 your defense

424
00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:24,960
especially in that Brazil game between you and Rufi Bolton y'all put the clamps

425
00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:31,320
down on them guards over there so salute to you all you've accomplished and I

426
00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:37,240
mean this lady she was not only talented on the court but off it she could

427
00:46:37,240 --> 00:46:42,960
sing I remember her and Rufi Bolton actually singing the national anthem

428
00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:49,640
together before one of their games she was just such a talent and the impact

429
00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:53,400
she's had on these young ladies you heard me read the quotes from these former

430
00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:58,760
players of hers how she's impacted the lives of women and as I went on a

431
00:46:58,760 --> 00:47:04,320
Twitter page she would just represent whatever college she was affiliated with

432
00:47:04,320 --> 00:47:09,360
she was just retweet stuff about them wasn't just women's basketball by the

433
00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:14,640
way it was women's sports it was even men's sports as well she was just a

434
00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:21,040
lover of sports a lover of raising people up just getting the best out of

435
00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:27,200
others that servant leader that she truly was she is a bright light that will

436
00:47:27,200 --> 00:47:34,040
be missed but as dawn said we have to just carry on that light and just do it

437
00:47:34,040 --> 00:47:40,280
because that's what Nikki would want us to do so may she rest in eternal bliss

438
00:47:40,280 --> 00:47:48,000
no more pains no more aches just resting in the heavenlies and I just was

439
00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:53,480
thankful I was able to see her be able to know that I saw such a great player

440
00:47:53,480 --> 00:48:00,160
like her play the game so with that said guys that is it like I said this was a

441
00:48:00,160 --> 00:48:05,840
special one I had to do with the passing of Nikki McCrae-Pinson we sent all

442
00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:13,040
condoses out to husband Thomas as well as her son Thomas and we just salute you

443
00:48:13,040 --> 00:48:17,360
alright so that's going to do it for this broadcast guys I thank you for

444
00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:24,600
listening as always and we'll talk soon so my peeps if you like what you're

445
00:48:24,600 --> 00:48:31,840
listening to you can go to my website www.allthingsbasketballwithgd.com

446
00:48:31,840 --> 00:48:40,600
you can also email me at that sportsduegd at gmail.com to support this

447
00:48:40,600 --> 00:48:50,320
podcast you can go to my paypal and that email is that sportsduegd at gmail.com

448
00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:57,280
also on my anchor page I have a support button there that you can also use to

449
00:48:57,280 --> 00:49:06,120
help the podcast I'm on all the major platforms like anchor, spreeker, Google

450
00:49:06,120 --> 00:49:16,160
podcast, Amazon, SoundCloud, YouTube, Castbots, Radio Public, PodChaser just to

451
00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:24,000
name a few and also you can find me on social media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

452
00:49:24,000 --> 00:49:31,320
TikTok, Clubhouse and fanbase so once again I thank you for listening and

453
00:49:31,320 --> 00:49:36,800
supporting this podcast and take care and be safe