LOS ANGELES — When the Clippers home team at Staples Center, all banners in the building are covered, effectively replacing the arena they share with three other teams — the Intuit Dome’s at least until 2024. to the beginning.
That means three of the Sparks’ WNBA Championship banners are not visible, including the one Christy Tolliver helped win in 2016.
So Tolliver — a Sparks guard during the NBA’s off-season and an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks in the WNBA’s off months — had to at least mention it to the player she’d been working with ahead of Sunday’s Mavs-Clips competition. Was.
“I told Luca (Doncic) the day before the game, I was like, ‘You know who has more banners than the Clippers? Your coach!'” Tolliver said. “So it’s kinda cool, and the history of Staples and everything that’s played out there is fun.”
Tolliver and Mavs return to Staples Center on Tuesday for the second game of a two-game set.
The Clippers may welcome Marcus Morris Sr. after a 15-game absence. The 32-year-old forward is likely to play after being ruled out after the second game on 23 October as he took care of “injury maintenance” on his left knee.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks listed Doncic as a suspect after missing the last three games with a left knee and ankle sprain, a designation that new Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was sharing with reporters after Monday’s practice. A loud bang ripped through the Terasaki Budokan Gym in Little Tokyo. ,
Doncic – who was involved in a five-on-five scuffle – slammed metal bleachers, and then sat down unhappily before being treated by a medical staff who had wrapped his left knee in ice.
The Mavericks aren’t a good team without the 22-year-old Slovenian sensation in the lineup, as their 0-3 record without him in the past week shows.
“We’ve missed him in the last few games, obviously,” said Tolivar, a three-time WNBA All-Star, who is a two-time All-Star in his first season with the Mavericks and 2018—Doncic. 19 NBA Rookie Of The Year.
Luca is getting some shots finished @LASparks Guard/Dallas coach Christy Toliver … with Boban in the background. pic.twitter.com/qbQ1R83DcQ
— Mirzam Swanson (@Mirjam Swanson) November 21, 2021
“He’s a joy and he’s a great guy, great friend, wants to be great and make his mark on the sport and it’s fun for everyone to watch,” said Tolliver, 34, who is the 15th female assistant. Coach is. in the history of the NBA.
“And he’s a young boy,[so]a lot of growth to be with someone who is so special and so different, obviously extremely talented.”
Other women who have held NBA coaching jobs include Clippers Natalie Nakase, who has worked in various coaching capacities since starting out as a video coordinator in 2012.
But Tolliver — whom Kidd calls a “pioneer” — is the only active WNBA player to serve as an NBA assistant, something she did early between 2018 and 2020 when she played for the Washington Mystics (with whom she played for the Washington Mystics). won the second championship) and coached. Washington Wizards.
She will be with the Mavericks as long as their season lasts and then turns her attention to Sparks, with whom she is under contract for another season. And they’ll get her everything until the WNBA season ends, when she switches gears again — hoping there might be some overlap.
“I think they’re a little complicit, but I have the support of both sides, so they know when I’m there, I’ll be 100% ready,” Tolivar said. Players review the film with the players’ own pods, and then, at the coaches’ meetings, give their opinion.
She said that her time with the Wizards taught her how to prepare, how to put together scouting reports and prioritize the advice she gives to players, because “you obviously can’t tell them everything.” You can see what you see, so just understanding the most valuable things.”
It’s an all-consuming job, as testified by Sparks’ assistant coach Latricia Trammell, noting that Tolliver seems to be enjoying the work.
“Christie will continue to be SpongeBob and grow as a coach and this is really going to help lead our team,” Trammell wrote in a message. “Christie has a passion for taking our game forward and she loves the sport, I guarantee she is making an immediate impact on the Mavs as a coach.
“I can’t wait for her to pick up on what she’s leaning on on the offensive and defensive ends.”
Toliver’s approach as an active player also appears to be an advantage, as he is able to implement, say, strategies in his own workouts.
“She’s played and she’s playing, so that’s some of the best advice we can have about who’s still playing,” said Kidd, who was Tolliver’s favorite player when he went to Virginia. I was growing up. “He’s the best.”
His boss, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, said it’s clear how well Toliver’s unique insights are being received.
“She’s really good at her job, people love her and she knows how to play, she can be out there and give advice,” Cuban said ahead of Sunday’s game, which the Clippers won, 97- 91. “She knows how to mentor J-Kid and she’s found a rapport, whether you’ve played in the WNBA or in the NBA, people respect her game. And because of her success, they don’t just play her game.” but also for the impact it has had on the game.”
Dallas (9-7) and Clippers (10-7)
When: Tuesday, 7:30 pm
where: Staples Center
TV: Bally Sports SoCal
No Clippers practice today, but here’s a look at these guys — and that spark — here in LA. finish practice in pic.twitter.com/8iTo2Gf8qX
— Mirzam Swanson (@Mirjam Swanson) November 22, 2021
