Yolanda Evette Griffith (born March 1, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American professional
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
who played in both the
ABLABL is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Abl gene, an oncogene associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia* Abetalipoproteinemia, a rare genetic disorder* Ablative case* A Beautiful Lie, 30 Seconds to Mars's second studio album...
, and WNBA. A Former WNBA MVP she is considered one of the greatest rebounders and defensive players in the history of
Women's BasketballWomen's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast, in large part via women's colleges...
. She last played in the WNBA as a member of the
Indiana FeverThe Indiana Fever is a professional women's basketball team that plays in the Women's National Basketball Association . The Fever are based in Indiana's capital and largest city, Indianapolis. Their first season of play in the league was in 2000. The Fever play at Conseco Fieldhouse, located in...
. She is sometimes called by her nicknames: "Yo" and "Yo-Yo".
High School and College
She attended George Washington Carver High School in the Chicago area. In her senior year (1988-1989), she was named in Parade Magazines
All-AmericaAn All-American "team" is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific All-America and typically referred to as All-American athletes, or simply...
n basketball team.
She was offered a
scholarshipA scholarship is an award of access to an institution, or a financial aid award for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to play for the women's basketball team at the
University of IowaThe University of Iowa is a public research university located in Iowa City, Iowa. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, but had to cancel it after she gave birth to her daughter, Candace.
Afterwards, she attended Palm Beach Junior College in
Lake Worth, FloridaLake Worth is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, which takes its name from the body of water along its eastern border, originally called "Lake Worth", and now generally known as the Lake Worth Lagoon. The lake itself was named for General William J. Worth, who led U.S. forces during the last...
, where she earned Junior College All-America honors in 1990-91. She later transferred to
Florida Atlantic UniversityFlorida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
, which was then a
Division IIDivision II is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It offers an alternative to both the highly competitive level of intercollegiate sports offered in NCAA Division I and to the non-scholarship level offered in Division III...
school, where she graduated in 1993.
American Basketball League
In 1997, she joined the American Basketball League (ABL). Griffith was selected by the
Long Beach StingraysThe Long Beach Stingrays was a women's professional basketball team. It existed for only the 1997-98 season, and was a member of the American Basketball League....
as the number one pick overall in the ABL players draft. In their only season, Griffith led the Stingrays to he brink of the ABL title, only to lose to the defending champions, the
Columbus QuestThe Columbus Quest was a professional women's basketball franchise in the now-defunct American Basketball League . They were one of the league's original eight teams that started play in 1996...
. Griffith was named the 1997-1998 ABL Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-ABL first team. She finished second in the ABL's 1998 Most Valuable Player voting to her future
2000 Summer OlympicsThe Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 16 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
teammate
Natalie WilliamsNatalie Williams was a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
.
When the Long Beach franchise folded after the end of the 1997-98 season, she was dealt to the expansion
Chicago CondorsThe Chicago Condors was a very short-lived member of the American Basketball League . Its hometown was much larger than usual for the ABL, which mainly targeted mid-market cities, and initial team merchandising was successful....
, in her hometown. She played there only briefly, however, as the league folded on December 22, 1998. Prior to that, Griffith ranked fifth among league leaders in scoring (17.2 ppg), first in rebounding (12.3 rpg), 19th in assists (2.6 apg), second in steals (3.3 spg), and second in blocked shots (1.3 bpg).
WNBA career
The
Sacramento MonarchsThe Sacramento Monarchs is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Sacramento, California. The team is one of the WNBA's eight original franchises and was noted early on for standout players Ticha Penicheiro, Ruthie Bolton and Yolanda Griffith.While the Monarchs have been one of...
selected Griffith as the #2 overall draft pick in the 1999
WNBA DraftThe WNBA Draft is an annual draft held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. The first WNBA draft was held in 1997.-Structure:...
. She is a seven-time WNBA All-Star, and won the WNBA's
MVPThe Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the league's inaugural season. MVP voting takes place immediately following the regular season. The award recipient is decided by a panel of sportswriters and...
and
Defensive PlayerThe Women's National Basketball Association's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the league's inaugural season, to the top defensive player of the regular season...
awards in 1999.
In 2005, the Monarchs won their first
WNBA titleThe WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association , held in late September and early October, and played under a best-of-five playoff format. The team winning the Eastern Conference Finals earns one of the two seeds in the championship round, with the other...
over the
Connecticut SunThe Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2003 WNBA season began. The Sun was the first WNBA franchise not to be owned by an NBA owner;...
, three games to one in a Best-of-five playoff series. Griffith was named series MVP.
On April 8, 2008 after nine seasons with the
Sacramento MonarchsThe Sacramento Monarchs is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Sacramento, California. The team is one of the WNBA's eight original franchises and was noted early on for standout players Ticha Penicheiro, Ruthie Bolton and Yolanda Griffith.While the Monarchs have been one of...
Griffith signed with the
Seattle StormThe Seattle Storm is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently led by Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson and former University of Connecticut star Sue Bird....
.
On February 20, 2009 Griffith signed with the
Indiana FeverThe Indiana Fever is a professional women's basketball team that plays in the Women's National Basketball Association . The Fever are based in Indiana's capital and largest city, Indianapolis. Their first season of play in the league was in 2000. The Fever play at Conseco Fieldhouse, located in...
after a one year stint with the Storm.
On June 9, 2009 Griffith tore her
achilles tendonThe Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.-Anatomy:The Achilles is the tendonous extension of three muscles in the lower leg: gastrocnemius,...
in a game against the
Seattle StormThe Seattle Storm is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently led by Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson and former University of Connecticut star Sue Bird....
, her former team. She will be out for the season and since she is retiring at the end of the season, it will end her career.
Yolanda Griffith has remained in Indiana as an Adjunct Assistant Coach. She is considered their Player Development Coach.
Playing overseas
Shortly after graduating from college, Griffith began her professional basketball playing career in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, where she played from 1993 to 1997. In 1997, she finished as the top scorer and rebounder in the
EuroLeagueThe Euroleague , also known as Euroleague Basketball is the highest level and most important professional basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different European countries. The competition is operated by ULEB, a Europe-wide consortium of leading professional basketball leagues...
, averaging 24.7 points and 16.0 rebounds per game.
During the WNBA offseason, Griffith has played extensively overseas, usually on teams and leagues that feature other WNBA players. In 2003 and 2004, she played for a
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n professional team in Ekaterinburg.
Europe
- 1993-1997 : Germany DJK Wildcats Aschaffenburg
- 2000-2002 : Italy Lavezzini Basket Parma
- 2003-2004 : Russia UMMC Ekaterinburg
- 2005-2006 : Russia UMMC Ekaterinburg
Olympics
Griffith has twice been a member of the
U.S. National Women's BasketballUSA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
team. She won
Gold MedalGold Medal is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2004 on Atlantic Records. It was one of the first albums released in the DualDisc format, but was recalled due to a mastering error which resulted in the final track being partially omitted from the CD...
s at the Summer Olympics in both
2000Final results for the Basketball competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Games took place at the Sydney SuperDome and The Dome.-Medal summary:-Preliminary round:The four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round.-Group A:...
and
2004Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena in Athens, Greece for the preliminary rounds, with the latter stages being held in the Olympic Indoor Hall at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex....
.
External links