Nicole Kristen Powell was born on June 22, 1982 in Sierra Vista, Arizona, the daughter of Lawrence and Ruth Powell.

High School
Nicole graduated from Mountain Pointe High School. She was a 2000 Parade Magazine First Team All-American and named the Arizona Player of the Century by the Arizona Republic, as well as a host of other accolades.

College
Nicole attended Stanford University, majoring in urban studies.

She played for the Cardinal under coach Tasha Vanderveer. She broke many school records in her career (including all-time points and rebounds records), was named an All-American three times, and won numerous awards.

Nicole is the only female basketball player in Pac-10 history to have achieved multiple triple-double games during the same season.

WNBA
Powell was the #3 overall pick by the Charlotte Sting in the 2004 WNBA Draft. She was a utility player for the Sting, appearing in 31 games.

On March 3, 2005, she was traded to the Sacramento Monarchs in a multi-player deal, which sent her, along with Olympia Scott-Richardson and Erin Buescher, for Tangela Smith and a 2006 second round draft pick and played a pivotal role in the Monarchs' 2005 WNBA Finals victory over the Connecticut Sun.