Cappie Pondexter attended the 4th Annual Celebrity Billiards Tournament, hosted by Justin Tuck of the New York Giants. The event was held at Slate NYC and benefited Justin Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy campaign. Check out her red carpet look and interview.
The 39th Wheelchair Charities Awards honored Cappie Pondexter of the New York Liberty and New York Giants Super Bowl hero Victor Cruz and Claude Ritman, the former executive director of Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital, was also honored, along with the Vaccaro family, longtime supporters of Wheelchair Charities.
The affair was held at the New York Hilton, located at 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue, on (Thursday), May 10 at 6 p.m.
Cappie was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Wheelchair Charities. Hank Carter, chairman and CEO of Wheelchair Charities hosted.
Pictured with 4Season Style Management Coordinator, Malcolm Soaries.
by Adena Andrews / @adena_andrews
The blogosphere was set ablaze as a modern day Battle of the Sexes was born from video (above) of New York Liberty point guard Cappie Pondexter playing against NBA veteran Sebastian Telfair. Thousands of viewers saw Pondexter make it rain buckets in a head-to-head matchup with a bigger, stronger, taller NBA player. But what they didn’t see were the events that led up to the explosive matchup of two legendary point guards. SLAM recently caught up with the two ballers to discuss what happened in Vegas.
SLAM: How did you end up playing together at Impact basketball facilities in Las Vegas?
Cappie Pondexter: Al Harrington and Chauncey Billups actually dragged me into the game. I was visiting Las Vegas with my brother and cousin and I got a call from Chauncey and he said, “I’m picking you up in the morning you’re going to workout with me.” I got to the gym the next day and after two hours of working out with Billups I was resting up and about to ice my body. Then Al Harrington comes over to me and says, “Get a jersey. You’re in”. I’m like “Really? But, I’m tired”. I played anyway because those guys are like my brothers and we are all just trying to get better.
Sebastian Telfair: That day I was in there working out with about 15-20 NBA players and we started playing pickup games. Cappie got called in at point guard and I was the point guard. We played five games and Cappie’s team won the first two and we won the last three. The game you saw on YouTube was the fourth game.
SLAM: What were your thoughts when you saw you were going to be matched up against each other?
CP: I just remembered him being a playground legend in New York. He was the head of his class coming out. It was just cool to go up against him.
ST: I came into the gym and saw Chauncey and about 15-20 other NBA players and that’s normal. But when I saw Cappie was going to be in the game, knowing how successful she is, probably top 15 in the WNBA, I had to respect that right away.
SLAM: When did you decide to turn up the heat in the game and go shot for shot?
CP: The jumper was just what I was feeling. I was kind of nursing an injury at the time too so I thought hitting jumpers was the safer thing to do. Also, I just wanted to work on my shooting. He gave me some good buckets too.
ST: It seems in game four she got a little more aggressive. On the first shot in the video, she comes down the left side and puts up a jumper. She even called “off” but it went in and didn’t even touch the net. I was right in her face and standing on top of her. That’s when I knew she was trying to win this. Then I hit her with the jumper then she hits me with the hesitation. At that point I thought, “She got game, so if I don’t take her serious she is going to try and show me up in here”
SLAM: Were you holding back in the game?
CP:I don’t know if he was taking it easy on me. He’s a cool guy and he was in there just trying to get better.
ST: After she hit a few shots I was definitely guarding her hard. I was saying in my head “She’s not going to score anymore” but she proved me wrong on that. There were other things that she did that weren’t on the tape. She was on the court holding her own. She would come off pick and rolls, make a pass and do obvious stuff the fans wouldn’t be able to understand. It’s no secret she is one of the best point guards to play the game.
SLAM: How did the crowd reaction fuel the tempo of the game?
CP: I got excited. Probably like four or five days ago I had just finished my season in the WNBA. So it was cool to get that reaction and play with the guys after that loss. It was definitely a confidence booster.
ST: That made it fun. You know how she plays; she is one of those up-tempo point guards with handle. It brought it back to street ball in the middle of a game with 20 NBA players in the gym.
SLAM: What was your reaction to the video going viral?
CP: I figured it was going to happen. I have also heard a lot of negative things about it. People say, “It’s fake, it’s not real”. People have to understand that I grew up doing this. I have been playing basketball since I was 10. This is what I love to do. I mean who wants to fake a video. We were both trying to get better and we were having fun doing what we love and it happened to be a crowd there. There’s nothing fake about that.
ST: I didn’t think it was going to go viral. I don’t have Twitter and Facebook like everyone else. I just follow it. As long as the people recognize I was out there fighting with another boss, that’s all that matters.
The 2011 WNBA All-Star Game will be nationally broadcast on ABC, Saturday, July 23, at 3:30 p.m. ET. It is the first time the San Antonio Silver Stars are hosting the midseason showcase.
In addition to Catchings (19,943), leading vote-getters by position in the Eastern Conference include guards Cappie Pondexter of the New York Liberty (11,859) and Katie Douglas of the Indiana Fever (11,217), forward Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream (8,912) and center Tina Charles of the Connecticut Sun (9,837).
The 60 players included on the ballot represent all 12 WNBA teams. Voters are asked to select two guards, two forwards, and one center from each conference. A write-in option is also available, allowing fans to choose players not listed on the ballot.
Cappie Pondexter scored 22 points to lead the New York Liberty to a 77-67 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.
Essence Carson had 18 points, Plenette Pierson added 16 and the Liberty (4-4) got their first win at Prudential Center, their new home for the next three seasons while Madison Square Garden undergoes renovations during the summers. New York had lost its first two at home earlier this month.
Former Rutgers All-American and current New York Liberty star Cappie Pondexter has been nominated for an ESPY Award and is also a finalist for the Top-15 players in WNBA history. Fans can vote for both awards, helping Pondexter add to an already decorated list of accolades in her young career.
In addition to Pondexter, the category for Best WNBA Player includes Tamika Catchings, Lauren Jackson and Diana Taurasi. The nominations are based on last season’s performances, in which Pondexter ended the year as the league’s second-leading scorer with 21.4 points per game. She was also sixth in assists with 4.85 per game.
To vote for the ESPY, click the following link: http://espn.go.com/espys/#!/voting/.
| Cappie Pondexter pledges her time to the “I Will Graduate America” Campaign |
PRLog (Press Release) – Sep 21, 2010 – WNBA Player Cappie Pondexter and NY’s local non-profit Entertainers 4 Education Alliance have joined forces in support to educate local students on the opportunities available to them after graduation and why graduating from high school is so important.
E4EA’s “I Will Graduate America” campaign is a national call to action for students, parents, and the entire community to increase educational achievement in our youth.
The announcement which was made early this month utilizes the power of celebrities, musicians, sports figures and high profile individuals to promote positive messages to young people about the importance of education, personal advancement and social commitment. Throughout the campaign Pondexter plans to create awareness, influence attitudes, behaviors, and empower young people to succeed and value education. Pondexter will follow in the footsteps of the organization’s host committee which includes business mogul and philanthropist Russell Simmons, NBA Legend John Starks, Actor and R&B singer Tyrese Gibson, TV & Radio personality Sway Calloway and NY Jets Outside Linebacker Calvin Pace.
Cappie Pondexter who is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for New York Liberty is best known for her scrappy play, quick crossovers and deadly midrange jump shots. Pondexter attended Rutgers University and led them to a back-to-back Big East Championships in 2005 and 2006 and took home several awards, including the 2006 Women’s Basketball News Service National Player of the year, the western conference WNBA All Star, WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player, and the WNBA champion. During the 2009 WNBA season Pondexter became the first player in WNBA history to win 3 consecutive Western Conference Player of the week awards. On the international stage, Pondexter won gold medals with the USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Off the court Pondexter runs 4 Season Style Management which she started with partner Lisa Smith Craig. 4 Season Style provides fashion and image consulting to not only professional athletes, but all kinds of clients helping them shop and to develop their images.
Entertainers 4 Education Alliance, which is a 501c3 non-profit organization, believes that every student deserves a quality education. E4EA is committed to strengthening our communities by lowering the alarmingly high dropout rate in America’s schools. Last year E4EA was awarded a proclamation by NYC Mayor R. Bloomberg for outstanding service.
E4EA wants ONE MILLION students each year to pledge that they will graduate High School and pursue higher education. “We want parents and the community to support students in obtaining a high school diploma and college degree, Our goal is to provide a powerful message to students about the importance of education.”
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After my show at Norwood, Cappie Pondexter, the Olympic Gold Medalist and star of the WNBA NY Liberty headed over to the Ivana Helsinki show at Mercedez Benz fashion week. Shown here, she’s rockin’ in the MinnaK “Nadja” dress with Designer Richie Rich – L
