Cappie Pondexter, a guard recently traded to the WNBA’s New York Liberty, is a new weapon for the team, armed with quick crossovers and a deadly midrange jumper. She has gained every accolade a professional basketball player could hope for: She was the Big East Conference Women’s Player of the Year at Rutgers, the most valuable player and she made the WNBA All-Star team. She was also the first player in WNBA history to win three consecutive Western Conference Player of the Week awards and has won two championships.

Ever ambitious, Pondexter looks to reach even higher heights with the New York Liberty by bringing New York the championship. Here, she talks basketball, her friendship with LeBron James, fashion and makeup with Aol. Black Voices:
BV: How did you first get started playing basketball? Who taught you to play?

CP: My brother is a basketball player, and he would take me to the park ’cause he had to babysit me, and I’ve just continued from there. I’ve been playing since I was 10, and it’s just something I love to do. My brother is nine years older than me. We never played one-on-one, but I could beat him now [laughs].

BV: What made you choose Rutgers and Vivien Stringer over basketball powerhouses like UConn and Tennessee?

CP: They were in my top five schools when I did my recruiting visits. My last recruiting visit I was supposed to go to UConn, but I canceled it, and I committed to Rutgers. Rutgers was the first school I visited, and I just felt comfortable. Coach Stringer, she’s an awesome lady, very powerful. I felt that from the moment I met her. I’m thankful I went there. We talk weekly. She’s a mother so she understands.

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