Nikki McCray-Penson is the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball team and a former professional women's basketball player. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for eight seasons. In 2008 after leaving the WNBA, McCray joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. McCray-Penson was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. In addition to her career on the court, McCray also created a name for herself in the realm of community service. In the year 2000 Nikki McCray was hand-picked by President Bill Clinton to be made a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In 1999 The Library of Congress selected Nikki McCray to be the keynote speaker for the Women’s History Month Address.
