Yolanda Griffith

Yolanda Evette Griffith (born March 1, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Seattle Storm of the WNBA. 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 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 gave 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.

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 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 Quest. 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 Olympics teammate Natalie Williams.

When the Long Beach franchise folded after the end of the 1997-98 season, she was dealt to the expansion Chicago Condors, 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 Monarchs selected Griffith as the #2 overall draft pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft. She is a seven-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.

On April 8, 2008 after nine seasons with the Sacramento Monarchs Griffith signed with the Seattle Storm.

Playing overseas

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

Europe

* 1993-1997 : flagicon|Germany DJK Wildcats Aschaffenburg
* 2000-2002 : flagicon|Italy Lavezzini Basket Parma
* 2003-2004 : flagicon|Russia UMMC Ekaterinburg
* 2005-2006 : flagicon|Russia UMMC Ekaterinburg

Olympics

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

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-repossession 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.

External links

* [http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/yolanda_griffith/index.html?nav=page WNBA Player Profile]
* [http://www.usabasketball.com/bioswomen/yolanda_griffith_bio.html USA Basketball Player Profile]
* [http://www.wnba.com/features/ambassadors_griffith.html 2004 WNBA article: "Ambassadors Of The Game"]
* [http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/sports/basketball/wnba/story/2741896p-11324015c.html October 14, 2005 "Sacramento Bee" article: "Monarchs' Griffith finally has a legacy"]
* [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/storm/2004333965_storm08.html Griffith signs with the Storm]