Yolanda Griffith

Yolanda Griffith
(Born 1970)

Hall of Fame Induction: 2021

Card Shown: 2020-21 Panini
Hall of Fame Private Signings

Position: C/F
Height: 6’4″

Yolanda Griffith’s journey to basketball superstardom was sometimes a difficult one. After committing to the University of Iowa, Yolanda learned she was pregnant and her basketball career was temporarily put on hold. Griffith, embracing motherhood and prioritizing her daughter Candace, journeyed through Palm Beach Community College and Florida Atlantic University before playing basketball internationally in Germany for several years. Upon her return, Yolanda joined the short-lived American Basketball League (ABL) before becoming a star in the WNBA where she was a scorer and an elite defensive player.

Awards and Honors

Before joining the WNBA, Griffith played in Germany and the ABL. In 1998 she was the ABL Defensive Player of the Year and was named First Team All-ABL. The ABL folder after 2 full seasons in 1998 and Yolanda moved on to play in the WNBA.
Yolanda was a seven-time WNBA All-Star during her eleven seasons in the league. She was also recognized with two All-WNBA First Team selections and three All-WNBA Second Team selections.
In 1999, Griffith accomplished a rare feat when she was named the WNBA Newcomer of the Year, WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and the WNBA Most Valuable Player in her first year in the league.
Yolanda led the Sacramento Monarchs to the WNBA championship in 2005 and earned the Finals MVP award. During the finals she averaged 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds as the Monarchs defeated the Connecticut Sun 3-1.
Griffith has honored with her selections to the the WNBA All-Decade Team in 2006, the WNBA Top 15@15 in 2011, the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016, and the W25 in 2021. Needless to say, she is considered one of the top women’s players in WNBA history. The remainder of the All-Decade Team in 2006 included Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie, Katie Smith, Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson.

Points of Interest

Griffith was the first overall selection of the Long Beach Stingrays in the 1997 ABL Draft. She later became the second overall selection in the 1999 WNBA Draft when she was chosen by the Sacramento Monarchs. Chamique Holdsclaw was the top selection in the 1999 draft.
Yolanda helped Team USA win two Olympic gold medals at Sydney, Australia in 2000 and Athens, Greece in 2004.
At Sacramento, Griffith twice led the WNBA in rebounds per game (11.3 in 1999 and 11.2 in 2001) and twice led the WNBA in steals per game (2.5 in 1999 and 2.2 in 2004).
After nine seasons with Sacramento, Yolanda played for the Seattle Storm in 2008 and briefly for the Indiana Fever in 2009 until a torn Achilles tendon ended her WNBA career.
Yolanda finished her WNBA career with averages of 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

Statistics

Yolanda Griffith Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com