From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

Ukari Figgs was born in Georgetown, KY. In high school, she was an outstanding student and athlete, leading the Scott County girls' basketball team to a state title in 1995, the year she was named Miss Basketball of Kentucky.

Figgs played college ball at Purdue University, helping them win the 1999 women's NCAA title; Figgs was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. She graduated in 1999 with a degree in mechanical engineering and was drafted into the WNBA.

Ukari Figgs was the first African American woman from the Bluegrass region to play in the WNBA. She was a member of the 2001 Los Angeles Sparks WNBA title team (the 28th overall pick in the draft), with whom she co-captained alongside Stephanie White, leading the team to the first national basketball title in school history. In her WNBA career, she played for the Los Angeles Sparks (1999-2001), the Portland Fire (2003), and Houston Comets (2003 dispersal draft). She played one season in Houston before retiring from basketball.

For her WNBA career, Figgs averaged 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and played in 151 games on those three different teams.

She became an engineer at Toyota Manufacturing in Georgetown, KY, and also  an assistant coach with the male varsity team at Scott County High School from 2004-2009. Figgs was named the assistant coach to the Purdue women's basketball team in 2009. Two years later, in June 2011, Ukari Figgs was named the University of Kentucky's assistant athletic director for women's basketball. She would later give up coachng and return to Toyota, where, as of 2026, she continues to work.

For more see Ukari Figgs, WNBA player information and Ukari Figgs Announces Retirement. See also M. Carmin, "Coaching lures Figgs back to Purdue," Journal and Courrier, 4/14/2009, Sports section, p. 1, 3C; and J. Tipton, "Figgs named women's basketball AD - 1995 Miss Basketball coached at Purdue," Lexington Herald-Leader, 6/11/2011, p. D6.