AROUND THE WNBA : Monarchs’ Griffith Chosen MVP; League Fines Leslie, Thompson
Yolanda Griffith of the Sacramento Monarchs completed a triple in WNBA awards Wednesday when she was selected the league’s most valuable player.
She earlier was announced as newcomer of the year and defensive player of the year.
Griffith beat out Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets in the voting for the MVP award.
She received 397 points and 23 first-place votes. Swoopes got 364 points and 15 first-place votes. Swoopes’ Houston teammate, Cynthia Cooper, the MVP the first two years of the league’s existence, got 324 points and 13 first-place votes.
“Yolanda is a great person and an exceptional ballplayer,” Cooper said. “She deserves it. She brought Sacramento back. They had never had a winning record and they made the playoffs. She plays both ends of the court.”
Griffith averaged league-best averages of 11.3 rebounds and 2.52 steals and also finished second in scoring (18.8 points a game) and field-goal percentage (54.1).
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