Yolanda Evette Griffith (born March 1, 1970) is an American former professionalbasketball player who played in both theABL andWNBA. An eight time WNBA All-Star, she was named the 1999WNBA MVP and theWNBA Finals MVP in 2005 when she won the WNBA championship with theSacramento Monarchs. One of the top defensive players in WNBA's history, she was the 1999WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and led the league in rebounds and steals two times each. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the top 15 players in WNBA history. She is sometimes called by her nicknames: "Yo" and "Yo-Yo". Griffith was inducted into the 2014Women's Basketball Hall of Fame's class on her first year of eligibility. In 2021, she was inducted into theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Born inChicago, Illinois, Griffith attendedGeorge Washington Carver High School in the Chicago area.[1] In her senior year (1988–1989), she was named First-teamParade All-American,[2] as well as first team All-America in softball.[1]
Griffith was offered ascholarship to play for the women's basketball team at theUniversity of Iowa, but had to cancel it after she gave birth to her daughter, Candace.[3]
Afterward, she attendedPalm Beach Junior College inLake Worth, Florida, where she earned Junior College All-America honors in 1990–91.[1] She later transferred toFlorida Atlantic University, which was then aDivision II school, where she graduated in 1993, earning Kodak Division II Player of the Year honors.[1] While in school, she supported herself and her daughter by working for a car repossession company.[1]
Following her graduating from college, Griffith began her professional basketball playing career inGermany with DJK Wildcats Aschaffenburg, where she played from 1993 to 1997.[citation needed] In 1997, she finished as the top scorer and rebounder in theEuroleague Women, averaging 24.7 points and 17.1 rebounds per game.[4]
After four seasons in Germany, Griffith joined theAmerican Basketball League (ABL).[1] She was selected by theLong Beach Stingrays as the number one pick overall in the ABL players draft.[1] In their only season, Griffith led the Stingrays to the brink of the ABL title, only to lose to the defending champions, theColumbus Quest. Griffith was named the 1997–1998 ABL Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-ABL first team.[1] She finished second in the ABL's 1998 Most Valuable Player voting to her future2000 Summer Olympics teammateNatalie Williams.[citation needed]
When the Long Beach franchise folded after the end of the 1997–98 season, she was dealt to the expansionChicago 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).[citation needed]
TheSacramento Monarchs selected Griffith No. 2 overall in the 1999WNBA draft.[1] She is a seven-timeWNBA All-Star, and won the WNBA'sMVP, Newcomer of the Year[5] andDefensive Player awards in 1999.
In 2001, Griffith set the WNBA single-season record for most offensive rebounds with 162.[citation needed]
In 2005, the Monarchs won their firstWNBA title over theConnecticut Sun, three games to one in a best-of-five series. Griffith was named Finals MVP.[citation needed]
On April 8, 2008, after nine seasons with theSacramento Monarchs, Griffith signed with theSeattle Storm.[citation needed]
On February 20, 2009, Griffith signed with theIndiana Fever, after a one-year stint with the Storm.[citation needed]
On June 9, 2009, Griffith tore herachilles tendon in a game against theSeattle Storm, her former team. In August the same year, she announced her retirement from professional basketball.[6][7] In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA.[8] In 2016, Griffith was once again honoured by the WNBA in theWNBA Top 20@20 in celebration of the league's 20th season.[9]
As the WNBA and the seasons in Europe did not overlap, Griffith, like many other WNBA players played in Europe during the winter. She played two seasons for Lavezzini Basket Parma in Italy from 2000 to 2002. In 2003–2004 and 2005–2006, she played for Russian clubUMMC Ekaterinburg.[citation needed]
Griffith began her coaching career in 2009 as an assistant coach with the Indiana Fever. She was later an assistant coach at the college level with Dartmouth, Lafayette, Albany and theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst. In 2018, she became an assistant coach with the Boston College Eagles.[citation needed]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sacramento | 29 | 29 | 33.8 | .541 | .000 | .617 | 11.3° | 1.6 | 2.5° | 1.9 | 2.28 | 18.8 |
| 2000 | Sacramento | 32 | 32 | 32.1 | .535 | .000 | .706 | 10.3 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 2.56 | 16.3 |
| 2001 | Sacramento | 32 | 31 | 33.7 | .522 | .000 | .720 | 11.2° | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 2.34 | 16.2 |
| 2002 | Sacramento | 17 | 17 | 33.9 | .520 | .000 | .803 | 8.7 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 2.65 | 16.9 |
| 2003 | Sacramento | 34 | 34 | 29.9 | .485 | .000 | .774 | 7.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 2.21 | 13.8 |
| 2004 | Sacramento | 34 | 34 | 30.3 | .519 | .000 | .853 | 7.2 | 1.2 | 2.2° | 1.2 | 1.74 | 14.5 |
| 2005† | Sacramento | 34 | 33 | 28.3 | .485 | .000 | .707 | 6.6 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 2.00 | 13.8 |
| 2006 | Sacramento | 34 | 34 | 25.1 | .457 | .000 | .751 | 6.4 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 1.94 | 12.0 |
| 2007 | Sacramento | 32 | 32 | 23.1 | .502 | .000 | .658 | 4.6 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.03 | 9.0 |
| 2008 | Seattle | 30 | 30 | 21.9 | .462 | .000 | .648 | 6.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.70 | 7.2 |
| 2009 | Indiana | 3 | 0 | 13.7 | .500 | .000 | .778 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.00 | 6.3 |
| Career | 11 years, 3 teams | 311 | 306 | 28.8 | .506 | .000 | .713 | 7.9 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.11 | 13.6 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sacramento | 2 | 2 | 39.0 | .522 | .000 | .625 | 12.0° | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.00 | 14.5 |
| 2001 | Sacramento | 5 | 5 | 36.2 | .478 | .000 | .764 | 8.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 2.20 | 21.2 |
| 2003 | Sacramento | 6 | 6 | 33.3 | .537 | .000 | .912 | 8.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 2.00 | 17.2 |
| 2004 | Sacramento | 6 | 6 | 34.0 | .492 | .000 | .833 | 8.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.00 | 13.7 |
| 2005† | Sacramento | 8 | 8 | 30.8 | .491 | .000 | .711 | 8.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.25 | 17.3 |
| 2006 | Sacramento | 9 | 9 | 26.3 | .485 | .000 | .765 | 7.1 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.11 | 14.8 |
| 2007 | Sacramento | 3 | 3 | 23.7 | .409 | .000 | .889 | 6.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.33 | 8.7 |
| 2008 | Seattle | 3 | 3 | 29.0 | .214 | .000 | .875 | 6.3 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.67 | 4.3 |
| Career | 8 years, 2 teams | 42 | 42 | 31.1 | .484 | .000 | .786 | 8.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.69 | 15.0 |
Griffith has twice been a member of theU.S. National Women's Basketball team. She wonGold Medals at theSummer Olympics in both2000 and2004.[10][11][12]Griffith will serve as a member of the USA Basketball Women's Development National Team Committee from 2013 to 2016. The Women's Developmental National Team committees will select coaches and athletes for USA Basketball teams competing in the 2013 and 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championships; and the 2014 and 2016 FIBA U17 World Championships. The Men's Developmental National Team Committee also selects staff and players for the annual Nike Hoop Summit.[13]
In 2011, Griffith accepted an assistant coach position withIvy League university,Dartmouth, located inHanover, NH.[14] In her first season with the Big Green theDartmouth post players made great strides. Griffith was instrumental in the development of Arianne Hunter and Tia Dawson. Dawson, who was the Big Green's top rebounder and the top shot blocker in theIvy League, was twice namedIvy League Rookie of the Week.[15]In 2013, Griffith was named the First Assistant Coach forLafayette College a member of thePatriot League.[16] She was an assistant coach for Joanna Bernabei-MacNamee at the University of Albany. When Bernabei-MacNamee was named as the new head coach at Boston College in 2018, she brought Griffith along as her assistant. Griffith has been instrumental in the development of post players at BC.[citation needed]
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