http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/sports/basketball/wnba-tamika-catchings-retirement-indiana-fever.html 2016-09-18 23:47:22 A Force on the Court, Tamika Catchings Was a Dynamo Off It As the president of the W.N.B.A. players’ union since 2004, Catchings, who will retire after this season, guided the league through some trying times. === Tamika Catchings is planning to retire after this After her final regular-season game Sunday against the Dallas Wings, Catchings will finish as the league’s career leader in rebounds and steals and as its second-highest scorer. She was selected to 11 All-Star teams and seven All-W.N.B.A. first teams, was a five-time defensive player of the year, and was recognized in June as Catchings’s absence will also be felt by opposing players. Although they will not miss her lockdown defense and her spinning past them en route to the basket, Catchings has been president of the players’ union since 2004. “I remember in the beginning being so scared,” Catchings said. “For me, it was such a daunting task, like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to represent all these players.’” Catchings assumed leadership when the W.N.B.A. was still defining itself within American professional sports. In 2004, the league felt the effects of two franchises folding and two teams relocating. Catchings and other union leaders, including Ruth Riley and Liberty forward Swin Cash, worked to establish a new foundation for a union that could serve as a first point of contact for players’ professional, and even personal, issues. “Ruth Riley, Tamika Catchings and myself, we had a lot over the last decade that was on our shoulders: tough C.B.A. negotiations, certain recessions that were happening in the country and in sports. It was a lot to learn,” said Cash, referring to collective bargaining agreements. Cash, After the 2008 collective bargaining agreement was signed, Catchings acknowledged in an interview that “ “There’s some things that you’re not going to be able to get,” Catchings said. “Like, O.K., salary. Everybody wants a higher salary, of course — we all do — but what does that look like? So, I think for us, it’s always been just about, What kind of issues can we deal with?” The past two collective bargaining agreements, including the most recent one from 2014, have introduced fewer restrictions on players who compete overseas in the winter, small annual salary increases and additional roster spots for each team. There have also been more subtle changes like individual hotel rooms for veterans on road trips. Cash said she and Catchings frequently discussed the gratification of watching a younger generation of players become more involved in the union and wanting to dictate their future. In previous years, it was not uncommon for players to call Catchings and other union leaders in the middle of the night, or while playing overseas, looking for explanations of rules and contracts or help settling disagreements with agents. “She just carries over what she does on the court, being president,” said Stefanie Dolson, a third-year Washington Mystics center and the team’s union representative. “She’s the leader, she makes decisions, and she’s confident in the decisions she makes. She’s very good at finding out everyone’s opinions, she’s open to them, and she does a great job of just making sure the players are taken care of and the league is thriving.” As the union was solidifying its ground under Catchings, it also had to deal with difficulties affecting the N.B.A. players’ union. In 2013, the executive director, Billy Hunter, was “People don’t understand that when the men went through their whole public situation and Billy Hunter leaving, the trickle effect that happened on the women’s side,” Cash said. “We even had to clean house ourselves and really restructure.” The W.N.B.A. players’ union has hired two new directors of operations since December 2014. Terri Carmichael Jackson, the current director of operations, said Catchings had been vital in helping her transition since taking over in May. “Tamika has a leadership style that’s inclusive, that’s committed to building consensus and committed to diversity,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day, she’s my boss, and to be able to have a one-on-one with your boss, to ensure that you are on track with her expectations and overall mission of an organization, is very important. She has never ever hesitated to do that, or make those conversations happen. Not every employee gets that.” A key moment in the union’s maturation came earlier this season, when players The Fever, the Liberty and the Phoenix Mercury were “The thing that I’m most proud of as of late is with the Black Lives Matter and just kind of how we all stood united and had a uniformed front,” Catchings said. “That is something that we haven’t really had in the past. It was kind of like pulling teeth and trying to get players engaged. But now I feel like, as we leave, the union is in a better place.” Jackson added: “It also demonstrated to those on the other side of the table, these players are to be respected and be taken seriously. Not that they weren’t before, but it further emphasized that point.” Before the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Catchings joined Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony in Los Angeles for a town-hall meeting On Sunday, at her final regular-season home game, Catchings was celebrated for her impact on basketball and the Indianapolis community. Indiana Pacers forward Paul George bought 5,000 tickets to give away to fans. Also in attendance was Lin Dunn, who coached Catchings and the Fever for seven seasons, winning a championship in 2012, when Catchings was named the most valuable player of the finals. In recalling Catchings’s life earlier this week, Dunn noted how, as a child, Catchings was shy, often being teased for having a hearing impairment, a fact she now openly embraces. “She realized it didn’t have to be an impediment and could use that as a catalyst for being a role model for overcoming adversity,” Dunn said. “It kind of set her free to let her voice be heard. I think the players not only respect her, they trust her. They reach out to her for help. She’s done a great job being available as a resource. She’s maybe the best ever because of all she did on the court, but my goodness gracious, look at what she did off the court.”