Kristin Folkl
Encyclopedia
Kristin Just Folkl is a former collegiate and professional women's basketball
player. She now goes by her married name of Kristin Folkl-Kaburakis.
and volleyball
at St. Joseph's Academy
in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri
, leading both of her sports teams to state championships each year in which she played. Folkl was named a High School All-American by the WBCA
. She participated in the WBCA High School All-America Game in 1994, scoring twenty-three points.
In 1994, Folkl attended Stanford University
and starred on their women's basketball and volleyball programs.
While at Stanford, she was a four-time volleyball All-American, a basketball all-American as a senior, and a two-sport academic all-American. She appeared in a total of six Final Four
s (four in volleyball and two in basketball) and won three national championships in volleyball. In her senior year, she was a first team All-American in both sports and was named the GTE
Academic Player of the Year. She was also a participant on the USA Women's National Volleyball Team, and was a first-alternate at the 1996 Summer Olympics
.
Folkl graduated from Stanford in 1998 with a degree in economics
. She has been inducted into Stanford University's Hall of Fame.
(WNBA) playing for the Minnesota Lynx
after the team drafted her during the 1999 WNBA Draft
. She was traded to the Portland Fire
in 2000 to become a part of the expansion season Portland team.
She also played professional basketball overseas for teams in Australia
, Switzerland
, and Greece
.
Since 2004, she has been serving as the director for development on the St. Louis Sports Commission, a privately funded non-profit organization
. Her duties include directing the revenue generation and fundraising efforts for the commission as well its affiliated St. Louis Sports Foundation. She will also coordinates the commission's partnership and membership programs.
Folkl is married to Tassos Kaburakis, an attorney
and a professor in sport law and management at Saint Louis University
.
According to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, she gave birth to her first child, Ian Nicholas, on August 29, 2006.
Women's basketball
Women's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast , in large part via women's colleges...
player. She now goes by her married name of Kristin Folkl-Kaburakis.
Early years and Stanford University
She played basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
at St. Joseph's Academy
St. Joseph's Academy (St. Louis, Missouri)
St. Joseph's Academy is a private, all-girls, Roman Catholic, college preparatory high school in Frontenac, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.-Notable alumni:...
in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, leading both of her sports teams to state championships each year in which she played. Folkl was named a High School All-American by the WBCA
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...
. She participated in the WBCA High School All-America Game in 1994, scoring twenty-three points.
In 1994, Folkl attended Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and starred on their women's basketball and volleyball programs.
While at Stanford, she was a four-time volleyball All-American, a basketball all-American as a senior, and a two-sport academic all-American. She appeared in a total of six Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
s (four in volleyball and two in basketball) and won three national championships in volleyball. In her senior year, she was a first team All-American in both sports and was named the GTE
GTE
GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System....
Academic Player of the Year. She was also a participant on the USA Women's National Volleyball Team, and was a first-alternate at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
.
Folkl graduated from Stanford in 1998 with a degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. She has been inducted into Stanford University's Hall of Fame.
WNBA and overseas basketball career
She began her professional career with the Women's National Basketball AssociationWomen's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
(WNBA) playing for the Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...
after the team drafted her during the 1999 WNBA Draft
1999 WNBA Draft
1999 WNBA Draft - 6 April 1999*On September 15, 1998, two more players were assigned prior to the expansion draft.*On April 6, 1999 a WNBA expansion draft took place.*On May 3, 1999 another round of player allocation took place....
. She was traded to the Portland Fire
Portland Fire
The Portland Fire joined the Women's National Basketball Association in 2000 as the counterpart to the NBA team the Portland Trail Blazers. They played their games at Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The team folded after the 2002 season, after just three seasons in the league...
in 2000 to become a part of the expansion season Portland team.
She also played professional basketball overseas for teams in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Life after basketball
After her retirement from the WNBA, she returned to her hometown of St. Louis and served as a development officer for the Institute for Science and Health.Since 2004, she has been serving as the director for development on the St. Louis Sports Commission, a privately funded non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
. Her duties include directing the revenue generation and fundraising efforts for the commission as well its affiliated St. Louis Sports Foundation. She will also coordinates the commission's partnership and membership programs.
Folkl is married to Tassos Kaburakis, an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and a professor in sport law and management at Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
.
According to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
, she gave birth to her first child, Ian Nicholas, on August 29, 2006.
Vital statistics
- Position: Forward
- Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
- College: Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
- Team(s): Minnesota LynxMinnesota LynxThe Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...
, Portland FirePortland FireThe Portland Fire joined the Women's National Basketball Association in 2000 as the counterpart to the NBA team the Portland Trail Blazers. They played their games at Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The team folded after the 2002 season, after just three seasons in the league...
(1999–2002)