Tamika Catchings is stepping down as the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Indiana Fever, the team announced on Monday. Former Fever coach Lin Dunn, who guided the team to a WNBA title in 2012 and three total WNBA Finals, will join the franchise as interim GM and VP of basketball operations.Catchings had been the roles since 2019."Basketball has been central to all I do for as long as I can remember and has driven me to become the person I am," Catchings said in a statement. "While change is never easy, now it's time to take a step back from my role as general manager, take a well-earned rest, and prioritize my family, my philanthropy, our community and my other passions."The Fever drafted Catchings with the No. 3 pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft, after a stellar college career with Tennessee which included a national championship. A 15-year career in the WNBA, Catchings won several accolades, including WNBA championship (2012), WNBA Finals MVP (2012), WNBA MVP (2011) and five WNBA defensive player of the year awards. She was a 10 time WNBA All-Star, named on 12 All-WNBA teams and won four Olympic gold medals.From 2012 to 2016, Catchings served as the president of the WNBA Players Association. In 2020, the small forward was inducted into the James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and in 2021, she joined the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.The Fever finished with a 6-26 record in 2021, failing to make the playoffs. Indiana opens the 2022 WNBA season on May 6 against the Washington Mystics.(Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE via Getty Images)
