“The stars aligned the right way”: Tamika Catchings shares inside story of beating Maya Moore for unforgettable Fever glory

The Indiana Fever won their lone WNBA championship in 2012, led by 10-time All-Star Tamika Catchings. The Fever first defeated the Atlanta Dream and then the Connecticut Sun, who were led by 2012 MVP Tina Charles, before facing the Minnesota Lynx in the Finals.

The Lynx were the defending champions and were determined to secure their second consecutive title. They were led by an up-and-coming Maya Moore, who was making waves in the community as the next best female basketball player.

However, the Fever remained tenacious and secured their first championship in a best-of-three series. Almost 13 years later, Tamika Catchings shared the inside story of beating Maya Moore and the Lynx on the grandest stage in women's basketball while speaking to Sportskeeda's Mark Medina.

"There was a lot going on. But when I look back at 2012, the stars aligned the right way. It was fun. We went from being teammates a month or so before that with the Olympic team. Then we come back and we’re all fighting. We know there is going to be only one championship," Catchings told Sportskeeda.

Tamika Catching played a key role in helping the Fever lift the championship. She delivered an MVP-level season and finished third in the MVP rankings right behind Candace Parker. She averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

"The bench stepped up": Tamika Catchings credits her teammates for iconic 2012 championship win

Tamika Catchings is arguably the single most respected player in the Indiana Fever's history. She was loyal to the franchise for her entire career and was repaid for that loyalty with honor. In 2017, the Fever retired her jersey No. 24, which now hangs on the rafters at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Indiana fans remember Tamika Catchings for helping the franchise win its first championship. However, the Fever legend believes her teammates played an equally important role as hers in the iconic 2012 championship run.

"You take advantage of the opportunities that you get. So I think for us, my teammates stepped up big," Catchings told Sportskeeda's Mark Medina. "For all of us that came back from the Olympics, we all were tired. But we all were fighting for something that was so much bigger than ourselves when you’re with your team. It was my teammates."

"My teammates stepped up big time. We had players that got injured so players were in and out. But the bench stepped up. Players that had certain roles with coming off the bench and now starting stepped up."

Tamika Catchings played her last season in a Fever jersey in 2016, and after her departure, Indiana transformed into a low-table team. They failed to secure a playoff berth year after year until Caitlin Clark's arrival, who led the team to a playoff appearance in 2024, their first since 2016.