Linden High School will retire the No. 33 of legendary Lady Tigers basketball player Tamecka Dixon at a ceremony on Feb. 24.
She graduated in 1993 and remains the school’s all-time leading scorer among girls or boys with 2,092 points. Dixon led LHS to Group 4 state championships in her junior and senior seasons. She was selected as an All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association in her senior season, as well as first-team All-State by The Star-Ledger and Associated Press in her senior and junior years, and Player of the Year by The News Tribune as a senior.
In her senior season, she averaged 28.1 points and 13.6 rebounds to led the team to a 28-2 record.
After graduating LHS, Dixon went on to star at the University of Kansas, where she was Big 12 Player of the Year in 1997 and was named to the Kodak All-America team. She followed that up with a 13-year career in the WNBA, including three All-Star selections and two championships with the Los Angeles Sparks.
“We couldn’t be prouder to honor Tamecka Dixon after all she has accomplished here in Linden and beyond,” said Director of Athletics Steven Viana. “Her achievements on the court and advocacy for education make her a stellar role model for our student-athletes. When anyone thinks of Linden girls basketball, the first name they think of is Tamecka Dixon. She is truly a Linden legend, and no one could be more deserving to be remembered by future generations.”
Dixon currently owns a business in Westfield and is a member of the Union County College Board of Governors.
The ceremony on Feb. 24 will begin at 7 p.m. and will be the main attraction in a Linden basketball bonanza. The event will start with the Soehl Middle School and McManus Middle School boys teams tipping off at 4 p.m., followed by the two middle school girls teams playing at 5:30. After the ceremony honoring Dixon, Linden High School girls will play Woodbridge Academy.
Dixon becomes the third student-athlete to have their number retired at LHS, following Desmond Wade (boys basketball, Class of 2008) and Muhammad Wilkerson (football, Class of 2007).