Kristi Toliver

Kristi Renee Toliver (born January 27, 1987) is an American-Slovak professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the associate head coach for the Phoenix Mercury.

During her rookie season in the WNBA, Toliver signed an endorsement deal with Nike.

Toliver was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia to George Toliver and Peggy Toliver.

Her father is a former NBA referee.

Kristi graduated from Harrisonburg High School in 2005.

During her high school career, Toliver was named a McDonald's All-American, Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American, Parade All-American, EA Sports All-American, and USA Today All-USA Basketball Team member.

She was also the Virginia State Gatorade Player of the Year and Virginia Ms. Basketball.

She participated in the 2005 WBCA High School All-America Game and 2005 McDonald's All-American Game.

A standout player from the University of Maryland, Toliver was known for her ability to perform under pressure.

In the 2006 National Championship game, Toliver, then a freshman, hit a game-tying three-pointer with only seconds remaining to force overtime against favored Duke, leading to a Maryland win and the school's first national championship in women's basketball.

In the 2009 WNBA draft, the Chicago Sky selected Toliver with the third pick.

In her rookie season with the Sky, Toliver came off the bench averaging 7.6 points per game in 27 games and ranked second in the league in three-point shooting.

Toliver was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks just before the start of the 2010 season in exchange for a 2011 second round draft pick.

In her first season with the Sparks, Toliver was the backup point guard on the roster behind Ticha Penicheiro.

She averaged 8.6 points per game in 34 games.

In the 2012 season with the departure of Penicheiro, Toliver became the starting point guard for the Sparks and had a breakout season.

In the month of May, Toliver hit a game winning 3-pointer at the buzzer against the Tulsa Shock.

In 2013, Toliver re-signed with the Sparks to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract with the Sky expired.

With the acquisition of Lindsey Harding, Toliver became the starting shooting guard for the Sparks.

During the season, Toliver was named a WNBA All-Star for the first time in her career, while averaging 14.1 points per game in all 34 games.

Toliver was ranked 4th in three-point field goal percentage while averaging 13.2 points per game during the regular season.

During the 2015 season, Toliver was assigned back to the point guard position after Harding was waived.

In a regular season game win against the Tulsa Shock, Toliver set a Sparks scoring franchise record with 43 points, surpassing Lisa Leslie's 41 points.

She finished the season averaging 12.4 points per game.

In the 2016 season, the Sparks finished 26–8 with the second seed, and defeated Chicago 3–1 in the conference semi-finals.

On June 24, 2016, Toliver scored a season-high 25 points along with 7 three-pointers in a regular season game win against the Minnesota Lynx.

With a supporting cast of Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike, Toliver won her first WNBA championship with the Sparks as they defeated the Minnesota Lynx 3–2 in the Finals.

Toliver is currently the Sparks franchise leader in three-point field goal percentage and free-throw percentage.

She was the Western Conference Player of the Month for August, averaged a career-high 17.5 points per game, was ranked 9th in three-point field goal percentage, was named to the All-WNBA Second Team and won the WNBA Most Improved Player Award.

Her offensive performance continued in the playoffs, where she averaged 20 points per game in 4 games.

The Sparks were eventually eliminated in a 2-game sweep by the Minnesota Lynx in the conference finals.

In February 2017, Toliver signed with the Washington Mystics in free agency.

On May 14, 2017, Toliver made her debut for the Mystics, scoring 8 points along with 4 assists in an 89–74 victory over the San Antonio Stars.

On July 19, 2017, with Tayler Hill and Elena Delle Donne sidelined with injuries, Toliver scored a season-high 29 points while hitting 7 three-pointers in a 100–96 overtime win against the Atlanta Dream after coming back from a 21-point deficit.

The Mystics secured a playoff berth as the number 6 seed in the league with an 18–16 record.

In the first-round elimination game, the Mystics defeated the Dallas Wings 86–76 with Toliver scoring 16 points.

In the second round elimination game, the Mystics advanced to the semi-finals after defeating the number 3-seeded New York Liberty, 82–68, making it the first time in franchise history where the Mystics had advanced past the second round.

Toliver scored 32 points in the win while scoring 17 of them in the third quarter and made a WNBA-record 9 three-pointers.

In the semi-finals, the Mystics were defeated by the Minnesota Lynx in a 3-game sweep.

On May 30, 2018, Toliver scored a season-high 30 points in a 103–95 victory against the Phoenix Mercury.