Catchings took on more of a leadership role with this year’s team.
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings was back at Bankers Life Fieldhouse after a month away with USA Basketball, which included a two-week stretch in Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
With her 11 teammates, the USA Basketball Women’s Olympic Team won their sixth consecutive gold medal as they cruised to their 49th straight Olympic victory.
Tamika got emotional before receiving her fourth gold medal.
“That last game it was kind of like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is it,'” Catchings said. “The last time I’m going to be able to represent my country on the court. I might go back in another faze, in another role with the team but that feeling hit me and tears came out.”
See Also: Catchings bids farewell to her international career in gold medal game.
For Catchings, it was her fourth and final Olympic gold medal (and 1oth overall). She joined USA Basketball back in 1996. 20 years later, her time is over.
“It’s awesome,” she said of her time with Team USA. “I definitely feel like I’ve been blessed to be able to play the game that I love for so long and be successful at it.
“I think it’s just surreal because I’m still playing. I think one day, when I’m older, and I have my kids and we are sitting there watching the Olympics and I’m like, “Yeah, I got a couple of those medals, too.” They’re going to be look at me and go ‘Yeah, mom…’ [rolls eyes]. Have to go to my archives and pull out the medals and start showing them.
“It’s awesome. It’s been an awesome journey.”
[Mission Accomplished for Catchings and Paul George]
At Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday afternoon, Catchings looked back on her time with USA Basketball, closing that chapter with another gold medal, and she looks ahead to her final months as a professional athlete.
Watch the interview below: