Yolanda Griffith
A ferocious rebounder and defensive anchor, she clawed her way from a factory job to become the WNBA's most valuable player and a champion.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American basketball player·Birthday: March 1·Generation X
Biography
Yolanda Griffith's path to basketball greatness was anything but conventional. A teenage mother, she worked assembling circuit boards to support her daughter before her talent earned her a second chance at a junior college. Her ferocity on the court, born from that hardscrabble beginning, became her trademark. After dominating overseas and in the short-lived ABL, she entered the WNBA at 28, an age many consider a veteran. She immediately proved she was just getting started. With the Sacramento Monarchs, Griffith was a force of nature, combining an almost psychic sense for the ball with a relentless physicality. She didn't just rebound; she devoured missed shots. She didn't just defend; she intimidated. Her 1999 MVP season was a masterclass in two-way dominance, but her crowning achievement came in 2005, when she led the Monarchs to their only championship, earning Finals MVP honors. She redefined the power forward position with her combination of skill, will, and defensive genius.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Yolanda was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Yolanda Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Yolanda's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named the WNBA MVP in 1999 after leading the league in rebounds and steals.
- Led the Sacramento Monarchs to the 2005 WNBA championship and was named Finals MVP.
- Earned the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1999.
- Selected as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time in 2011.
Did You Know?
She famously wore jersey number 33 in college to represent the age her mother was when she passed away.
Before her pro career, she worked in a factory making circuit boards for IBM.
She played professionally in Germany for three years before joining the WNBA.
“I always played with a chip on my shoulder. I had something to prove every time I stepped on the court.”
