Quick Facts
Cancer
Biography
Kelsey Michelle Griffin (born July 2, 1987) is an American-Australian professional women's basketball player. She was drafted 3rd overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft. Griffin played college basketball with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Griffin was named to many All-America teams and was the winner of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Griffin is currently playing for the University of Canberra Capitals in the Australian WNBL. Having obtained Australian citizenship in November 2015, Griffin pledged her allegiance to Australia before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Early life
Griffin was born at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska on July 2, 1987 to Jim and Jan Griffin. Growing up mostly in nearby Eagle River, Griffin attended Chugiak High School.
College
Griffin attended Nebraska for five years. She injured an ankle in the summer of 2008. After not being able to practice for 14 weeks, the decision was made to opt for surgery, so she miss the entire 2008–2009 season and was granted a redshirt season.
Nebraska statistics
Source
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | Nebraska | 32 | 424 | 54.1 | 25.0 | 69.5 | 6.0 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 13.3 |
| 2006-07 | Nebraska | 32 | 480 | 54.6 | 11.1 | 72.3 | 8.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 15.0 |
| 2007-08 | Nebraska | 29 | 444 | 53.6 | 14.3 | 72.2 | 7.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 15.3 |
| 2008-09 | Nebraska | Redshirt | |||||||||
| 2009-10 | Nebraska | 34 | 685 | 59.6 | 25.0 | 75.6 | 10.4 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 20.1 |
| Career | Nebraska | 127 | 2033 | 55.8 | 20.5 | 72.7 | 8.0 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 16.0 |
Professional career
WNBA
The Minnesota Lynx had the third pick of the 2010 draft and selected Griffin. As she was about to pose for a picture with a Lynx jersey and WNBA President Donna Orender, she was traded to the Connecticut Sun for future draft picks. In her rookie season for the Sun, Griffin averaged 4.4 points and 4.7 rebounds and was able to earn a spot on the WNBA All Rookie Team.
Europe
Griffin played for Pécs 2010, a professional basketball team in Pécs, Hungary, playing in the Hungarian A league, one of the premier leagues in EuroBasketball. She led the team to a 23–1 record, which earned an entry in the championship series.
Australia
Griffin signed with the Bendigo Spirit for the 2012/13 Australian Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). Due to WNBA commitments, Griffin did not join the Spirit until six rounds into the season. Once cleared to play, she made an instant impact for Bendigo, averaging 16.5 points, 8.6 rebounds per game. Griffin was instrumental in Bendigo's WNBL championship victory, claiming grand final MVP honours after scoring 20 points and collecting 11 rebounds. Despite missing close to a third of the season, Griffin finished sixth overall in the WNBL's end of season league MVP voting.
Awards and honors
- 2010—Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
- 2010—WBCA First-Team All-American
- 2010—AP First-Team All-American
- 2010—USBWA First-Team All-American
- 2010—Wooden First-Team All-American
- 2010—Big 12 Player of the Year
- 2013—WNBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player
- 2013—WNBL Champion
- 2014—WNBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player
- 2014—WNBL Champion
- 2019—WNBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player
- 2019—WNBL Champion
- 2019—WNBL MVP
