She lived in Italy for one year while her father Harvey Catchings played professional basketball for Segafredo Gorizia, during which time she befriended Kobe Bryant.

[2] Catchings participated in the WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored twelve points.

[3] She is also the first player at any level in history to be officially credited with scoring a quintuple-double (25 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals and 10 blocks).

As a freshman on the undefeated 1997–98 National champions, she was part of the "Three Meeks" with Semeka Randall and Chamique Holdsclaw.

With this she became the fourth fastest player to score 2000 career points in the WNBA, reaching the milestone in only four seasons of play.

[5] In 2006, Catchings was voted into the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game, and was also the leading vote-getter, but had to sit out because of a foot injury.

However, the Fever fell way short of championship contention in 2008 as they were eliminated in the first round by the Detroit Shock during the playoffs.

Prior to this, Catchings led the league in steals with 2.9 spg and helped lead the Fever to a 22–12 record, earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

In 2011, Catchings won WNBA Most Valuable Player while averaging 15.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.0 spg also leading the Fever to a 21–13 record, topping the Eastern Conference standings.

The Fever would end up making it to the Eastern Conference finals where they got eliminated 2–1 to the Atlanta Dream.

They made it back to finals that year, this time against the championship defending Minnesota Lynx, but they would defeat Minnesota 3–1 in the series becoming only the second Eastern Conference franchise to win a WNBA title, despite playing without Katie Douglas who suffered an ankle injury in the Conference finals.

God has truly blessed me with an amazing playing career, and now it's time to start transitioning to what He has for me beyond the lines of the basketball floor.

The team participated in the third Junior World Championship, held in Chetumal, Mexico in late August and early September 1996.

[16] Catchings continued with the team when it was invited to the 1997 FIBA Junior World Championship (now called U19) held in Natal, Brazil.

The USA rebounded with a close 92–88 victory over Cuba, helped by 23 points each from Maylana Martin and Lynn Pride.

[17] In 1998, Catchings was named to the team representing the US at the William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan.

Catchings was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009.

Catchings was selected to be a member of the National team representing the US at the World Championships held in September and October 2010.

Several players shared scoring honors, with Swin Cash, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen, and Sylvia Fowles all ending as high scorer in the first few games.

[28] In April 2017, Catchings was named Director of Player Programs and Franchise Development for Pacers Sports & Entertainment.

[30] Catchings previously served as the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager for the Indiana Fever from 2020 to 2022.

[32][33][34] Catchings advocates in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against police brutality and gun violence.

Before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she and Carmelo Anthony, an NBA athlete, attended a town meeting in Los Angeles to discuss violence committed by and to police officers.

[35] She and her teammates decided to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem to protest infringements upon human rights.

Tamika's cousin Bobby is a starting forward for Eastern Illinois University's basketball team.

AA State Championship in her Sophomore year in 1995 under head coach Frank Mattucci before moving to Texas.

Catchings did not resume using hearing aids until shortly before her first season at Tennessee, when head coach Pat Summitt encouraged her to do so.

[39][40] In 2000, she was honored with the Reynolds Society Achievement Award by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston.

[41] Catchings refereed a game of 3-on-3 basketball played by Barack Obama along with local students from Kokomo, Indiana at the Maple Crest Middle School on April 25, 2008.