Washington Mystics guard Kristi Toliver suffered a non-contact knee injury in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday that had her teammates and staff concerned. Toliver went down with the injury at the end of the first quarter and had to be carried off the floor. Head coach Eric Thibault said Toliver will undergo an MRI, but doesn't expect a positive outcome, as he told Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
“It's not great, I don't think,” Thibault said. “We're not expecting good news. It's just crappy. … It's pretty devastating.”
When Kristi Toliver went down with the knee injury, the Mystics team surrounded her at midcourt with towels propped up to obstruct the view from fans and cameras.
Toliver, 36, has played in just 11 games in each of the last two seasons, battling through foot and other injuries in an effort to stay on the court. The veteran guard was a two-time All-Star in 2018 and 2019 with the Mystics, but has struggled ever since to stay healthy.
The injury comes at a tough time for the Mystics, as a potential playoff berth remains on the line as the season winds down. Washington is currently 17-20 this season after dealing with injury problems throughout the season.
Kristi Toliver's shooting will be sorely missed by head coach Eric Thibault and the Mystics moving forward. In addition to serving as another coach on the floor with her heady play, Toliver is a career 38.3 percent shooter from behind the arc and helps prevent teams from sending constant double-teams at Elena Delle Donne.
Toliver, who has won two WNBA championships, has also served as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks.