Kristi Toliver is one of a couple of WNBA players who can say they have coaching on their resume. Toliver adds another coaching stop to her resume as she joins the coaching staff with the Phoenix Mercury. The significance is that she will be an assistant head coach under Nate Tibbetts, who was hired in October.
She was an NBA assistant with the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks before taking the Mercury job.
She was the third overall pick in the 2009 Draft by the Chicago Sky out of the University of Maryland. The guard would spend one season with the Sky. Toliver would join the Los Angeles Sparks ahead of the 2010 WNBA season.
With the Sparks, she made the second-team All-WNBA (2012), won the WNBA Most Improved Player Award (2012), became a WNBA All-Star for the first time (2013), and got a championship (2016).
Next, the former Terrapin would take her talents to the nation’s capital and play with the Washington Mystics. Toliver had a great run in her three seasons in Washington, all things considered. She made the All-Star team twice (2018 and 2019) and won another championship (2019)
Following a three-year hiatus, Toliver joined the Las Vegas Aces for two seasons (2021-2022). She would return to the Mystics last season, playing in 11 games.
Kristi Toliver could lead a WNBA team on the sidelines
The 14-year WNBA veteran has not formally announced her retirement from the WNBA, but the sky’s the limit whenever she does. Overall, seeing the successes of former players Becky Hammon and Sandy Brondello as head coaches gives promise to Toliver’s chances.
Additionally, in October, the Sky hired longtime New York Liberty great Teresa Witherspoon as their head coach. That being said, do not be shocked if Toliver’s name comes up in future head coaching searches.
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