Last Updated on July 28, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Yolanda Griffith established herself as one of the WNBA’s most dominant interior forces, combining relentless rebounding, elite defense, and efficient scoring to control games on both ends of the floor. An MVP, champion, and Hall of Famer, she played a pivotal role in the success of the Sacramento Monarchs while setting a standard for toughness and consistency throughout her career.

Here’s the detailed information on Yolanda Griffith:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Yolanda Evette Griffith
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Born on March 1, 1970
  • Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm)
  • Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 4 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 14 (US)
  • Number: 33 (with the Sacramento Monarchs and Seattle Storm)
  • Position: Center / Power Forward
  • High School: George Washington Carver High School in Chicago, Illinois
  • College:
    • Palm Beach Junior College (now Palm Beach State College)
    • Florida Atlantic University
  • WNBA Draft: 1999 WNBA Draft, 1st round, 2nd overall pick by the Sacramento Monarchs
  • Teams Played For:
    • Sacramento Monarchs (WNBA, 1999–2007)
    • Seattle Storm (WNBA, 2008)
    • Indiana Fever (WNBA, 2009)
    • Various teams internationally (Germany, Italy, Russia, and others)
  • Championship Rings: 1 WNBA Championship with the Sacramento Monarchs (2005)
  • Kids: 1 daughter (Candace Griffith)
  • Siblings: Not widely publicized

Player Archetype / Play Style

Yolanda Griffith’s player archetype was that of a dominant two-way interior anchor — a powerful, mobile post player who could control the paint as both a scorer and defensive enforcer. At 6-foot-3 and roughly 185 pounds, she played bigger than her listed size because of her strength, timing, relentless motor, and rebounding instincts, which helped her thrive against true centers and power forwards alike. Defensively, Griffith was a back-line stopper who protected the rim, cleaned the glass, and disrupted actions with physicality and anticipation, a role reflected in her 1999 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honor and repeated All-Defensive recognition. Offensively, she operated as a low-post focal point and interior finisher, using power, touch, and second-chance activity to generate efficient scoring, which matched the all-around dominance that earned her the 1999 WNBA MVP and later the 2005 WNBA Finals MVP during Sacramento’s championship run. Overall, her play style was forceful, disciplined, and highly competitive — the kind of frontcourt star who imposed herself on both ends and gave her team a dependable identity in the paint. (WNBA)

Scouting Report

Yolanda Griffith always played like she wanted every possession to become a physical argument. The first thing you notice isn’t the scoring or even the shot-blocking—it’s how difficult she makes every catch around the paint. She met post players early, denied deep seals with leverage instead of reach, then had the balance to recover and contest without taking herself out of the play. That’s where her defensive value separated itself. She wasn’t hunting blocks for their own sake; she understood when to stay vertical, when to rotate as the low defender and when to simply force a difficult release that her teammates could clean up. Offensively, she generated points through relentless pressure on the interior. She established deep post position before the entry pass, finished through contact with either hand and punished defenders who tried to front her by immediately sealing on the weak side. The interesting thing is that she didn’t need elaborate actions to become effective. A simple cross-screen or a high-low look was often enough because she had already won the positional battle before the ball arrived. Her passing was underrated as well, particularly when double teams came from the baseline, as she recognised the second defender quickly and delivered simple kick-outs without overcomplicating the read. The trade-off was that extended possessions away from the basket could neutralise parts of her game. Face-up forwards who consistently pulled her into space or forced repeated closeouts reduced some of the physical advantages she enjoyed inside, and she wasn’t the player you wanted initiating offence from the perimeter. Put her beside guards who could consistently collapse the defence and wings willing to feed the post instead of over-dribbling, though, and she became the anchor of everything on both ends. To me, her game blended elements of Tina Thompson’s interior polish with the defensive authority of Sylvia Fowles, built less on highlight plays than on quietly controlling where every possession was allowed to happen.

Sources:

WNBA — Yolanda Griffith Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status …
WNBA — 1999 WNBA Season Awards
WNBA — Defensive Player of the Year
WNBA — 2005 WNBA Season Awards
WNBA — Lauren Jackson, Marianne Stanley, Yolanda Griffith Named Naismith HOF Finalist
WNBA — All-Time WNBA Champions