Cappie has plenty of style - even out of uniform

Cappie Pondexter is mesmerizing, both on and off the court.

If you don't believe this, you should have seen the way the Liberty's new All-Star guard tied up pedestrian traffic during a photo shoot on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 33rd Street outside Madison Square Garden last week. Wearing black harem shorts, a white blazer and 4-inch black platform heels, the 5-9 Pondexter strutted down the sidewalk with the same edgy confidence and style she had displayed hours earlier while helping to lead the Liberty to a preseason victory over the Connecticut Sun.

"I wanna go home with you!'' declared a middle-aged passerby whose eyes were practically falling out of his head.

"How about you coming to a Liberty game instead?'' Pondexter said with a smile.

If Pondexter continues to play the way she did in her first four seasons in Phoenix, there could be a lot more people coming to her games. The Liberty hopes the acquisition of the three-time All-Star and several other key offseason additions, including Nicole Powell, Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Kalana Greene, will help the team rebound from a disappointing season and contend for the WNBA title.

"I really felt we needed leadership," said general manager Carol Blazejowski, who called Pondexter's addition a franchise-changing acquisition. "We needed people who knew how to win. We needed to bring in some new blood, give us new energy and just give us a different look.''

Looks and looking good are important to Pondexter, who was the fourth-leading scorer in the league last season. Pondexter owns an image-consulting business, 4 Season Style Management, with a partner based in New York. Growing that business is the main reason she wanted to be traded to the Liberty this past offseason, even though she had just helped Phoenix win its second title in three years.

"I demanded the trade. It was nothing negative about Phoenix or me being overshadowed by Diana Taurasi,'' Pondexter said of her former Phoenix co-star. "This is about my future and planning for it. I realize basketball is not going to be here forever, and I have to plan for my business and my future.''

Pondexter, who is from Chicago, said she became interested in fashion while playing at Rutgers. That interest increased when she began playing basketball overseas - she has played the past two seasons in Russia - and several years ago, she joined forces with Lisa Smith-Craig, a stylist who works in the music industry, and formed their current company.

Pondexter has thought about going to graduate school for fashion design and eventually hopes to start her own line of clothing. Right now, her company concentrates on creating an image for its clients, who have included WNBA players Ebony Hoffman, Tangela Smith and Tammy Sutton-Brown.

"I've done some personal shopping for them, given advice with websites and styled them in some video shoots,'' Pondexter said.

Pondexter describes her own style as a mix of things, saying that she likes grunge and also is into vintage. She's definitely into tattoos - she has 20, including a small one of a gun on her right hand, which she says she got on a lark because she thought it was "dainty.''

Of course, it's Pondexter's sense of style on the court that will be the biggest boon to the Liberty. Pondexter, 27, brings a lot to the table. She has been an All-Star in three of her four WNBA seasons, has a career average of 19.2 points per game, was the most valuable player in the WNBA Finals three years ago and played for the 2008 Olympic gold-medal team. Though she will start at shooting guard, she is a multidimensional player who also will log time at the point.

"Cappie knows how to win, and she's one of the best offensive players in the world," said Liberty forward Essence Carson, who also was a teammate of Pondexter's at Rutgers. "She's flashy, but she gets the job done.''

Said Blazejowski: "When Cappie is on the court, you feel the fun she's having. I think she'll get everyone ratcheted up. She goes on the court expecting to win.''

Though Pondexter insists that getting away from Taurasi's shadow had nothing to do with her decision to leave Phoenix, she admits it will really say something if she can help the Liberty win the franchise's first title.

"In Phoenix, it was me and Diana. I was vocal, but she was more vocal than I was,'' Pondexter said. "Now I have to be vocal and I love the challenge. If I come here and win a championship, it speaks for itself.

"Is she the best player in the world? Well, if I can lead a team with no playoff experience and make it happen, that says something. I can't wait to start playing.''

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