Four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika entered a new chapter in her life by marrying Parnell Smith in 2016, solidifying their bond that began on a road trip.
Tamika Catchings is one of the greatest figures in women’s basketball history, having won four Olympic gold medals.
Alongside her Olympic medal, she was also a WNBA champion during her long tenure with the Indiana Fever.
However, in early 2016, she married her husband, Parnell Smith, marking a new chapter in her life beyond basketball.
Even now, the couple shares a beautiful relationship after a decade-long relationship, sparked at a basketball event.
Catchings didn’t take long to recognize Parnell’s efforts and importance in her life, and she married him two years later.
Tamika Catchings Met Her Husband In Los Angeles At A Road Trip After Not-Good Match Of Indiana Fever
Tamika Catchings first met her husband, Parnell Smith, in July 2014 through a mutual friend during her tour with the Fevers.
According to a WTHR YouTube video posted in 2016, they met on a road trip with the Fever in Los Angeles. Parnell was working there at the time.
The meeting was sudden, and though it was after Indiana Fever lost a game, their relationship hit off.
The couple immediately paired up, and their connection built over their common interest in basketball and other stuff.
Over the next two years, they nurtured their relationship. Tamika and Parnell secretly engaged in 2015, which made them further committed to each other.
Just after a year of engagement and two years of dating, they tied the knot on February 7, 2016.
Tamika Catchings surprised the whole world when she posted a wedding photo taken at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The ceremony was small and private, but she introduced her husband through her sweet Instagram post.
The Indiana Fever star lived with her husband on the northwest side for the first few years of her wedding.
Talking with the reporters, she added:
He’s (Parnell) obviously very attractive, but also smart, intellectual. He played basketball, so we relate in that sense, but we also talk about a lot outside of basketball—sports, family. We’re both very faith-oriented.
Insider reports suggest that Parnell Smith works as a project coordinator for a communications company in Indianapolis.
However, his history is linked to basketball, which helped him bond with his wife in the early years.
During the time around their wedding, the star player of Fevers had one more season to play. She also had the Olympics in Brazil that summer.
Parnell was the man standing behind him, despite her struggles with hearing and the last years of her career.
Tamika Catchings and Parnell Smith still share a beautiful partnership, and they still navigate through every roughness together.
Former Buffalo Bull Parnell Smith’s Promising College Career Faded As He Fails To Make Spot On NBA
While Catchings spent 16 years playing professional basketball, her husband shifted from college basketball to business.
Parnell Smith also had a background in athletics and played college basketball at the University of Buffalo.
He is a former Pike basketball player who played on state championship teams in 2001 and 2003.
Despite standing at 6’6″ and weighing 225 pounds with a forward potential, no teams drafted him in the 2007 NBA Draft.
After failing to secure a spot on an NBA roster, he tried his luck in other leagues. However, he faced challenges in establishing professional basketball.
Smith also worked in a communication company, but his profession in 2024 is still a subject of study.
Besides his professional endeavors, he is heavily involved in community work, leading Tamika’s youth programs.
The pair have built a partnership that is not stable just on shared aspirations but also on mutual respect.
Their relationship showcases how they have inspired each other during times of struggles and heavy transitions.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Tamika Catchings was born with a severe hearing impairment, diagnosed at the age of three.
- In high school, she made history by recording the first-ever quintuple-double
- Catchings founded the “Catch the Stars Foundation” with her husband, where they empower youth through sports.
