Olympic gold medalist, member of Sky’s inaugural team Nikki McCray-Penson dies at 51

FILE - Nikki McCray models a Women’s National Basketball Association jersey with WNBA President Val Ackerman at the league’s headquarters in New York Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1997. Two-time Olympic gold medalist and former ABL MVP Nikki McCray-Penson has died. She was 51. McCray-Penson was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Rutgers last season and the school confirmed her death, although the cause of her passing was not immediately known. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) ORG XMIT: NY161 (RICHARD DREW, AP Photos)

Nikki McCray-Penson, who played her final pro season in the WNBA with the Sky after a storied career that began at the University of Tennessee, died at 51. The news was announced Friday.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist played four years for the Lady Vols under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, during which time she helped lead the program to three SEC regular-season titles, two conference tournament titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four appearance in 1995. She also was named an All-American and SEC player of the year in her final two seasons at Tennessee.