Biography of Yolanda Griffith

Yolanda Evette Griffith (born March 1, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American women’s professional basketball player currently playing for the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA. She is sometimes called by her nicknames: “Yo” and “Yo-Yo”. She went to 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 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, where she graduated in 1993. During her college years, she supported herself and her daughter by getting a nighttime job hotwiring cars for a car-repossesion firm.

Griffith was the #2 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.

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.