Check out Nick Hamilton for NHExperience TV’s interview with Cappie Pondexter on the Olympic team, the mid-season break, and the second half of the 2012 WNBA season.

Cappie Pondexter was featured in a Fortune/CNN Money piece on marketing female athletes. The story focuses on women in sports who are great examples of managing success, money, and business in today’s society. Check out Cappie’s feature below:

Making a living as a female sports brand

Cappie Pondexter makes her living, mostly, on the basketball court. In her workout clothes, sitting in the team’s Greenburgh, N.Y. practice gym, the 29-year-old point guard smiles big, talks low, and exudes the kind of quiet confidence of someone who is used to being better at the things she does than those around her. When her team, the New York Liberty, played the Seattle Storm in June, she would sometimes make her defenders look like they were caught in freeze-frame while she cut through them like butter, taking the ball to the paint to score.

A top WNBA player like Pondexter does not wield the same kind of branding power as a NBA player, at least not yet.

Cappie Pondexter

Pondexter says she learned just how hard women athletes have to work to build a marketable personal brand after she joined the league.

“When I was younger, I had the tom boy thing going on,” she says. “I don’t know if you remember Aaliyah, always in Tommy Hilfiger boxers, big baggy shorts and hats? I was like that growing up.” When she left the U.S. in the offseason to play in Europe, she says, she started paying more attention to fashion.

About 80% of WNBA players play overseas to supplement their income. Over there, she’s a celebrity, Pondexter says. There’s not such a big discrepancy in respect paid to men’s versus women’s teams. Part of that might be because there’s more money available for female players as private investors and governments heavily fund many European women’s basketball teams.

“We work for three months and the amount of money we get for three months is damn good,” Pondexter says. “But in Europe, it’s a totally different lifestyle. I mean, you’re making six figures over there.”

To further supplement her income, Pondexter started an image consulting company for young athletes called 4 Season Style Management. There’s a need for it, she thinks, because, “A lot of times, coming out of college — this is even speaking for myself and my own experience — you don’t realize the importance of your image,” Pondexter says. “And your brand is what people want to invest in, and that’s money, you know what I mean?”

It can be tough to brand a female basketball player, she says, because the sport is so aggressive. “So a lot of times, fans don’t relate feminism and that aggressiveness all in one. Me personally, I kind of take it as a challenge.”

Cappie Pondexter was recently featured on lipstickalley.com to discuss her beauty secrets and some of her favorite products. Find her beauty breakdown interview below:

“Skincare is important to me, I sweat a lot on the court and it dries my skin. So having a good regimen is critical.”

“For my sensitive face, its Darphin’s Intral Cleansing Milk, Toner, and Redness Relief.

“I love Laura Mercier Creme Brulee Souffle Body Creme. The vanilla scent smells amazing.”

“I’m not too out there with makeup, a simple tinted moisturizer, eyeliner, and tinted lipglass work for me.” Her favorites: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Walnut, MAC Liquid Eyeliner in Black, and MAC Tinted Lipglass in Mad Cap.”

“I feel naked when my nails aren’t polished, I love bright colors. Two shades one from O.P.I. and the other is from Essie are my absolute favorites. Need Sunglasses (O.P.I.) and Aruba Blue (Essie).”

“My hair can understandably be a hot mess on the court, but I usually keep it together in my daily life”

“I wear extensions during the game season, they are easier to maintain for me. My hair underneath is strong and healthy, thanks to my hair stylist, Edris Nichols.”

“Between visits to her, I maintain my hair with Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Herbal Shampoo and Rosemary Mint Purifying Conditioner.”

“I love to experiment with my look, I have been blond, had braids, worn a turban, half shaved mohawk, and super short “halle berry” cut. Life is meant to be lived, I rock my hair in the style I want to, not how others think it should look.”

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.

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.

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).

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sportsmoney/2011/12/19/five-lessons-wnba-players-can-teach-you-about-business/

What really defines an “It” girl? Looks? Style? Personality? All of the above for sure, but the true characteristic of an “It” girl is her undeniable hustle. Either on the court, in the booth or on the silver screen, she is relentless for her shot at the spotlight. It’s only right that we introduce (or re-introduce) you to the new slew of gorgeous, fashion-forward Vixens that we are slightly obsessed with.

Here’s who we’ll be keeping our eyes on this year. We recommend you do the same.

http://www.vibevixen.com/2011/10/the-%E2%80%9Cit%E2%80%9D-list-6-vixens-stepping-into-the-spotlight/

While NBA players have nothing better to do during a lockout, Cappie Pondexter has been playing ball with the New York Liberty all summer. And three days after it was over, she decided to go under the needle. Just recently, we’ve shown you new ink from Kevin Durant, Matt Barnes and Jeff Teague. Now, thanks to Twitter, we have the latest from the girl who recently gave Sebastian Telfair buckets. Check it out in all its glory after the jump.

http://dimemag.com/2011/10/wnbas-best-new-ink-cappie-pondexter/