Mercury rent former Mystics participant, Wizards assistant Kristi Toliver as affiliate head coach

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury have employed three-time WNBA All-Star and former NBA assistant Kristi Toliver as affiliate head coach.

Toliver will be part of the workers of first-year coach Nate Tibbetts within the hiring introduced Friday.

Toliver performed 14 WNBA seasons with Washington, Los Angeles and Chicago, incomes two WNBA titles. She averaged 11.8 factors and three.4 assists earlier than struggling a season-ending torn ACL after 11 video games with the Mystics final season.

Toliver turned the primary energetic WNBA participant to function an NBA assistant coach when she joined Scott Brooks’ workers in Washington. She coached 4 seasons within the NBA, two with Washington and two on Jason Kidd’s workers in Dallas.

The Mercury employed Tibbetts in October after Phoenix completed a WNBA-worst 9-31. Vanessa Nygaard was fired in late June and assistant Nikki Blue promoted to go coach for the remainder of the season. The Mercury have a powerful older core constructed round Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi.