Growing up as the daughter of an NBA referee, basketball has always been a central part of Kristi Toliver's life. She became an NCAA champion at Maryland in 2006 and a WNBA champion with the Los Angeles Sparks a decade later.
After nine years in the WNBA, the past two of which she has spent with the Washington Mystics, the NBA's Washington Wizards offered Toliver the chance to take the first step toward her longtime desire to coach after her playing days are over. The Wizards made Toliver an assistant coach this season — the first active WNBA player to serve as an NBA assistant.