Yolanda Griffith

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Yolanda Evette Griffith (born March 1, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA. She is sometimes called by her nicknames: "Yo" and "Yo-Yo".

Contents 1 High School and College 2 American Basketball League 3 WNBA career 4 Playing overseas 4.1 Europe 5 Olympics 6 Trivia 7 External links

[edit] 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 Magazine's All-American basketball team.

She was offered a scholarship to play for the women's basketball team at the University of Iowa, but had to cancel it after she give birth to her daughter, Candace.

Afterwards, she attended Palm Beach Junior College in Lake Worth, Florida, where she earned Junior College All-America honors in 1990-91. She later transferred to Florida Atlantic University, which was then a Division II school, where she graduated in 1993.

[edit] American Basketball League

In 1997, she joined the American Basketball League (ABL). Griffith was selected by the Long Beach Stingrays as the number one pick overall in the first ABL players draft.

After the end of the 1997-98 season, she was traded in the expansion draft to the Chicago Condors, in her hometown. She played for the Condors for the next two seasons.

Griffith was named the 1998 ABL Defensive Player of the Year and All-ABL first team, and finished second in the ABL's 1998 Most Valuable Player voting to her future 2000 Summer Olympics teammate Natalie Williams.

Prior to the ABL folding in December 1998, Griffith ranked fifth among league leaders for scoring (17.2 ppg.), first for rebounding (12.3 rpg.), 19th for assists (2.6 apg.), second for steals (3.3 spg.), and second for blocked shots (1.3 bpg.).

[edit] WNBA career

The Sacramento Monarchs selected Griffith as the #2 overall draft pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star, and won the WNBA's MVP and Defensive Player awards in 1999.

In 2005, the Monarchs won their first WNBA title over the Connecticut Sun, three games to one in a Best-of-five playoff series. Griffith was named series MVP.

She has hinted that she will retire from playing after the 2006 WNBA season, when her current contract with the Monarchs expires.

[edit] Playing overseas

Shortly after graduating from college, Griffith began her professional basketball playing career in Germany, where she played from 1993 to 1997 and finished as the top scorer and rebounder in the EuroLeague in 1997 averaging 24.7 points per game 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 Russian professional team in Ekaterinburg.

[edit] Europe

• 1993-1997 : DJK Wildcats Aschaffenburg
• 2000-2002 : Lavezzini Basket Parma
• 2003-2004 : UMMC Ekaterinburg
• 2005-2006 : UMMC Ekaterinburg

[edit] Olympics

Griffith has twice been a member of the U.S. National Women's Basketball team, which won Gold Medals during the Summer Olympics in 2000 and 2004.

[edit] Trivia

• Griffith has regarded Cheryl Miller as her basketball role model.
• During her college years, she supported herself and her daughter by getting a nighttime job hotwiring cars for an auto-repossesion firm.
• Her daughter, Candace Griffith, briefly played basketball on the girls' team at McClatchy High School in Sacramento, California.
• Would like to get into law enforcement when her basketball career is over.
• Also earned First-Team All- American honors in softball as a senior.
• Favorite music is R&B.
• Likes to read and spend time with her daughter in her spare time.

[edit] External links

• WNBA Player Profile
• USA Basketball Player Profile
• 2004 WNBA article: "Ambassadors Of The Game"
• October 14, 2005 Sacramento Bee article: "Monarchs' Griffith finally has a legacy"

Women's National Basketball Association | WNBA's All-Decade Team
Sue Bird | Tamika Catchings | Cynthia Cooper | Yolanda Griffith | Lauren Jackson | Lisa Leslie | Katie Smith | Dawn Staley | Sheryl Swoopes | Tina Thompson Ruthie Bolton | Chamique Holdsclaw | Ticha Penicheiro | Diana Taurasi | Teresa Weatherspoon (Honorable mention)