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.
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.
I know what you’re thinking: “What can WNBA players teach me about business?”
Thoughts are running through your head about the league suffering from low attendance, TV viewership and sponsorships. Not to mention you’ve heard countless rumors about the WNBA being a drain on the NBA’s resources.
Let me stop you right there. Those thoughts are far from reality.
The truth is that during the WNBA’s 15th season it experienced an increase in attendance and TV viewership, and the league landed a marquee sponsorship with Boost Mobile. As for resources, several WNBA owners have said that despite the economic downturn their teams are on pace to turn a profit within the next several seasons.
So, what can WNBA players teach you about business? A lot.
It’s a little-known fact that more than 90% of WNBA players are college graduates. For many reasons the concept of “one and done” doesn’t exist in the WNBA. As a result the league is full of players who are not only skilled on the court, but also in the classroom.
WNBA players are not going to college to bide their time until they are eligible for the pros. They’re going to college because they know that life on the basketball court won’t last forever.
Recently, I caught up with four WNBA players (Cappie Pondexter, Tammy Sutton-Brown, Essence Carson, and Asjha Jones) who are all “business” on and off the court. (Read more).
IM CURRENTLY IN PRAGUE WHERE WE FACE USK PRAGUE EUROLEAGUE TEAM TONIGHT. IT’S GONNA BE A TOUGH CHALLENGE FOR US BUT AS A COMPETITOR I LOVE TOUGH ONES. WE GOT HERE TWO DAYS EARLY SO WE WERE ABLE TO ENJOY A FULL DAY HERE IN THIS WONDERFUL CITY. BY FAR, ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES TO VISIT IN EUROPE. I WAS ABLE TO BUY FEW THINGS , EXPERIENCE SOME STREET VENDORS, FOODS AND LISTEN TO THE BEAUTIFUL STREETS OF PRAGUE. KINDA SAD TO BE LEAVING TOMORROW MORNING BUT HEY WE’RE GONNA BE IN EVEN BETTER WEATHER.
SINCE I LAST LEFT YOU GUYS WE’VE PLAYED SEVERAL GAMES IN WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO WIN AND SOMEHOW GET BETTER DESPITE OF OUR TEAMS’ EARLY INJURIES. HONESTLY, I’D RATHER HAVE THE INJURIES EARLY THEN LATER. WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST TRAINERS IN THE WORLD IN MY OPINION. SHE DEF TAKES CARE OF US AND I’M GRATEFUL TO HAVE HER. I MUST SAY SINCE IVE BEEN HERE, THE ANKLE HAS DEFINITELY BEEN GETTING STRONGER AND I’M STARTING TO GET MY FULL RANGE OF MOTION BACK WITHOUT HAVING PAIN SO ITS ALWAYS A PLUS.
THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY GOOD THINGS OUT IN TERMS OF MUSIC AND FASHION. IVE DEFINITELY HAVE BEEN GOING SWEATER CRAZY, LEATHER CRAZY AND BOOT CRAZY. LOL, BUT IM ALWAYS CRAZY WHEN IT COMES TO FASHION.
ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS IVE SEEN IN EVER STORE HAS BEEN FUR AND LOTS OF IT. BEING IN RUSSIA ITS A BONUS AND I CANT WAIT TO GO FUR SHOPPING WITH MY TEAMMATES. DETAILS OF THAT ADVENTURE TO COME LATER. MUSIC WISE IVE BEEN HEARING THE LEAK OF DRAKES ALBUM NOT GONNA EVEN LISTEN TO IT UNTIL IT DROPS ON ITUNES GOTTA SUPPORT ARTIST THE RIGHT WAY THESE DAYS. I GOT THE WALE WHICH DIDN’T DISSAPOINT AT ALL BUT IVE BEEN LISTENING TO CALVIN HARRIS, BINGO PLAYERS PRETTY HEAVY. DANCE HAS BECOME ONE OF MY FAVORITE GENRES THESE DAYS.
WELL THAT’S ALL I HAVE FOR YOU GUYS THIS TIME AROUND HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR WEEK AND I WILL SPEAK SOON MY LOVES. THANKYOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT
BLESSINGS
CAPPA23
pic#1 another cool resturant where they are famous for their beer and sausages! its called “tinkoff”. have lotta cool shows and events! this pic shows the longest sausage ive ever seen in my life
pic#2 went to a jazz concert.
pic#3 taken at a new russian steakhouse. teammates an i came after a win against st petersburg in our weekly russian league game!
pic#4 pic i took at one of my fav spots in ekat: club D n cafe! they have the best shows in the world
pic#5 this is our club’s offices
pic#6 went to a jazz concert. this photo shows the place where it was held…it means hall of music very cool place
pic#6 another cool resturant where they are famous for their beer and sausages! its called “tinkoff”. have lotta cool shows and events! this pic shows the longest sausage ive ever seen in my life
AS YOU KNOW, THE NY LIBERTY SEASON ENDED UNEXPECTEDLY WITH THE UPSET IN THE 1ST ROUND OF THE EASTEN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS. I DON’T TAKE LOSING VERY WELL SO IT WAS A LITTLE HARD FOR ME TO RECOVER. I WENT TO MY HOME IN CHICAGO AND BEGAN PACKING BECAUSE I KNEW SOON I WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE FOR THE USA BASKETBALL EURO TOUR. I HAD A FEW DOWN DAYS SO I BOOKED A NICE TRIP TO VEGAS TO GET AWAY AND TAKE MY COUSIN AND BROTHER BECAUSE THEY HAD NEVER BEEN THERE. IT WAS A LOAD OF FUN AND GREAT EXPERIENCE. THE VIRAL VIDEO OF ME HOOPING WITH THE NBA GUYS IN VEGAS WASN’T PLANNED AT ALL. CHAUNCEY BILLIPS INVITED ME TO COME WORK OUT WITH HIM. WE WORKED OUT FOR TWO HRS ON DIFFERENT MOVES AND GOT TONS OF SHOOTING IN. AS WERE FINISHING UP AND IM GETTING READY TO ICE, MYBIG BRO, AL HARRINGTON TELLS ME TO PICK UP A JERSEY AND THAT’S WHERE IT BEGAN. IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT, U CAN DEFINITELY CATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE.
I FLEW FROM NY TO ITALY WHERE THE TOUR BEGAN WITH ONE FULL PRACTICE AND TOUR OF FOUR TEAMS. (NAPLES) ITALY THE TEAM THAT HOSTED, VALENICIA (ROS CASARES), (SKIO), ITALY AND OF COURSE, THE USA. IT WAS A TOUGH TASK WITH JUST SEVEN PLAYERS BUT WE WERE ABLE TO WIN THAT TOURNEY. UP NEXT, OUR TRIP TO VALENICIA..ALTHOUGH, WE LOST TO THIS TEAM, IT WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE.A FEW DAYS LATER WE FLEW TO PRAGUE AND FACED YET ANOTHER CHALLENGING TEAM THAT GOT THE EDGE OVER US AS WELL.
LATER THAT NIGHT WE DROVE TO HUNGARY WHERE WE WOULD FACE SHOPRON AND WOULD END THE USA EURO TOUR. I WAS VERY HAPPY TO LEAVE ON THE NOTE WITH A WIN BECAUSE WINNING ALWAYS MAKE THE SOUL FEEL GOOD. WE FINISHED THE TOUR OUT 3-2!!! 7 STRONG A BOND THAT WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AND NEVER BROKEN!
NEXT,I MET MY TEAM (UMMC) IN GYDNIA POLAND WHERE WE WOULD HAVE OUR 1ST EURO LEAGUE MATCH OF THE SEASON. I DIDNT PLAY BUT MY TEAM FINISHED WITH A WIN ON THE ROAD AND A NICE TRIP BACK TO EKATERINGBURG. I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD ACTUALLY MISS THIS PLACE BUT I TRULY DID. I MISSED THE CITY,PEOPLE, FOOD AND MY LOVELY APARTMENT FOR 4 YEARS. SO MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE I’VE BEEN GONE TO AMERICA. I WILL SEND UPDATES AND TAKE PICS SO U GUYS CAN HELP LIVE OUT MY EXPERIENCE THIS SEASON.
