Playing eleven Seasons in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) as point guard with the Washington Mystics was the stepping stone in becoming one of the very few assistant coaches in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
However, this past offseason Kristi Tolliver was hired by the Washington Wizards as an assistant coach for this upcoming season, while being an active WNBA player. Her success from the WNBA and her collegiate years at the University of Maryland have enabled her to have such an enamoring couple of months with the Wizards. As she has also rightfully become an advocate for equality in women’s pay and diminishing the pay gap between female and male athletes, she has used her platform as someone who is involved in more than one professional league to advocate for social change.
While balancing both the beginning of her eleventh season as a professional women’s basketball player, and continuing her elevation as an assistant coach in the NBA, Ms. Toliver has broken down several barriers and totally proved the naysayers. The success that she had while playing in the NCAA with the University of Maryland under the women’s basketball program is a major reason as to why she strives every day to set a great example for young girls by being a better coach and player.