Tolliver committed to Creighton in the fall of 2002. He was one of four players from his Kickapoo High School team to play Division I basketball; the team ended his senior season of 2002–03 ranked 12th by the USA Today and as the Missouri Class 5A State Champions.
At Creighton, Tolliver played in a reserve role during his freshman season behind veterans Brody Deren, Mike Grimes, and Joe Dabbert, but saw action in 27 games. He started 30 of Creighton's 34 games his sophomore season, including an 8-point, 7-rebound performance in a 75–57 victory over Missouri State in the 2005 MVC tournament championship game.
Tolliver earned second-team all-MVC honors during his junior season and had a memorable last-second shot to win a game against Wichita State on January 28, 2006.[1]
Tolliver was named first-team all MVC, a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award, and to the Collegeinsider.com mid-major All-America team during his senior year, and helped Creighton return to the NCAA Tournament and a 22–11 record. Tolliver started all 33 of the team's games and broke the 1,000 point mark for his career in his final collegiate game against Nevada in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. While playing for Creighton, he developed a unique ability to draw charging penalties while on defense.[2]
Professional career
Iowa Energy (2007–2008)
After going undrafted out of Creighton in 2007, Tolliver spent the preseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers, making the opening-day roster, but never playing.[3] He spent much of the 2007–08 season with the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, averaging 11.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game,[4]
Following a stint in Germany which saw him average 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game,[5] Tolliver was signed by the San Antonio Spurs in July 2008.[6]
Tolliver spent the early part of the 2008–09 campaign shuttling between San Antonio and Austin of the D-League. After appearing in 11 early games with San Antonio (averaging 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game), he was sent to Austin for six games, where he averaged 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in his second D-League stint.[7] He appeared in eight more games with San Antonio before being waived January 7, 2009.[8]
Return to Iowa (2009)
Tolliver signed with the Iowa Energy again shortly after. Tolliver then signed with New Orleans[9] after three games with Iowa. After his ten-day contract expired without renewal, he returned to Iowa for a third stint.
In December 2009, Tolliver was playing for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League.
Portland Trail Blazers (2009)
In December 2009, the Portland Trail Blazers signed Tolliver to a short-term contract.[11] The Blazers were able to temporarily sign a 16th player, one more than the usual league maximum, after the NBA granted the team a hardship exemption following a series of injuries to several key players.[12]
Return to Idaho (2010)
Tolliver played two games for Portland before being released on December 29, 2009, returning to Idaho.[13]
Golden State Warriors (2010)
On January 17, 2010, Tolliver was signed to a 10-day contract by the Golden State Warriors, who were also struggling with injuries. He was signed to a contract through the rest of the 2009–10 season on February 7, 2010.[14]
On April 7, 2010, Tolliver scored a career-high 34 points, shooting 14 for 22 from the field and 5 for 7 from the line. He also made one three-pointer and grabbed 8 rebounds. During the 2009–2010 season with the Warriors, he averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–2012)
Tolliver in March 2011
In the 2010 off-season, Tolliver joined the Minnesota Timberwolves on a two-year deal worth $4.5 million.[15]
Atlanta Hawks (2012–2013)
In September 2012, Tolliver signed a one-year, $854,389 contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[16]
Charlotte Bobcats (2013–2014)
On August 19, 2013, Tolliver signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Charlotte Bobcats.[17]
Phoenix Suns (2014)
On July 21, 2014, Tolliver signed a 2-year, $6 million contract with the Phoenix Suns.[18][19] He went on to play 24 games for Phoenix in 2014–15 while averaging 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.
On July 9, 2016, Tolliver signed a 2-year, $16 million contract with the Sacramento Kings.[21][22] On June 1, 2017, he was waived by the Kings.[23]
Return to Detroit (2017–2018)
On July 14, 2017, Tolliver signed a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Detroit Pistons.[24][25] He finished second in 3-point shooting percentage in the league after shooting 46.1%, behind only teammate Reggie Bullock.[26]
On March 2, 2020, the Memphis Grizzlies announced that they had signed Tolliver to a 10-day contract.[32] On June 22, the Grizzlies announced they would bring back Tolliver for the restart of the 2020 NBA season.[33]
Philadelphia 76ers (2021)
On April 12, 2021, Tolliver signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.[34] On April 22, he signed a second 10-day contract[35] and ten days later, he signed for the rest of the season.[36] On August 27, he was waived by the Sixers[37] after playing 11 games and averaging 1.5 points[38] 0.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists [38]
On December 26, 2021, the New Orleans Pelicans signed Tolliver to a 10-day contract via the hardship exception.[39] However, the contract was voided the next day due to a positive COVID-19 test.[40]
Tolliver is married and has four children.[41] His mother, Donna Lewis, worked as a teacher before her death in 2008.[42] Tolliver established an endowed scholarship at Drury University in her memory.[42]
In 2020, Tolliver participated in a group of NBA players that visited the Vatican to discuss social and economic inequality with Pope Francis.[43]
Tolliver is a member of the "Starting Five", along with Malcolm Brogdon, Joe Harris, Justin Anderson, and Garrett Temple. Their goal was to raise $225,000 through Hoops2O, founded by Brogdon, to fund five wells in East Africa by the end of the 2018–19 season.[44] By February 2020, the charity had funded the construction of ten wells in Tanzania and Kenya, bringing water to over 52,000 citizens.[45]
Related Research Articles
Zachary McKenley Randolph is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans before being drafted in the 2001 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He played for five teams over the course of his professional career, making the All-NBA Third Team in 2011 with the Memphis Grizzlies. He also played with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings before retiring in December 2019. Randolph later planned to come out of retirement in 2020 to join the Big3.
Theophalus Curtis Ratliff is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Corey Wayne Brewer is an American former professional basketball player who serves as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2006 and 2007. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 NCAA tournament.
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Gregory Keith Monroe Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who is a player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 2010 NBA draft with the seventh overall pick and became the last Pistons player to wear the number 10 jersey, as the Pistons retired the number for Dennis Rodman in 2011. In his freshman season at Georgetown University, Monroe was named Big East Rookie of the Year.
Seth Adham Curry is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one year at Liberty University before transferring to Duke. He is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry and the younger brother of NBA player Stephen Curry. He currently ranks eighth in NBA history in career three-point field goal percentage.
JaMychal Green is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Green started his career in the G League and overseas before signing his first NBA contract with the San Antonio Spurs in 2015. He also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, and Denver Nuggets.
Reginald Shon Jackson, nicknamed Big Government, is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played three seasons for the Boston College Eagles before declaring for the 2011 NBA draft, where he was drafted 24th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jackson also played for the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers before joining the Denver Nuggets, where he won a championship with the team in 2023.
Thomas Earl Robinson is an American-born naturalised Lebanese professional basketball player for Homenetmen Beirut of the Lebanese Basketball League. A consensus All-American at the University of Kansas, Robinson was drafted fifth overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.
Nerlens Noel is an American professional former basketball player who play 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His collegiate basketball career ended in his first season with a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the University of Kentucky. Noel was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. His rights were later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He plays center and power forward, and was one of the top high school basketball players in the class of 2012.
Justin Alaric Holiday is an American former professional basketball player who played professional basketball for 13 years (2011–2024). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies. He won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015. He is NBA player Jrue Holiday and NBA player Aaron Holiday's brother.
James Alfred Ennis III is an American professional basketball player who last played for Shijiazhuang Xianglan of the Chinese National Basketball League. He played two years of Division 1 college basketball for Long Beach State, where he became a standout as a senior, earning Big West Player of the Year honors. After being selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2013 NBA draft, Ennis moved to Australia and joined the Perth Wildcats. There he won an NBL championship and became a Perth favorite. He returned to the United States in 2014 in pursuit of an NBA contract, and subsequently joined the Miami Heat. He went on to spend time with the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2015–16 season, as well as in the NBA Development League with the Iowa Energy. He re-joined the Grizzlies in July 2016, and was traded to the Pistons in February 2018. He then split the 2018–19 season with the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lorenzo Dontez Brown is an American-Spanish professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack and spent several seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in the United States, he helped lead the Spanish national team to a EuroBasket title in 2022.
Robert Covington is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Tennessee State Tigers and in 2018, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Anthony LeJohn Brown is an American professional basketball player for Türk Telekom of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal.
Justin Nicholas Patton is an American professional basketball player for Peristeri of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the Basketball Champions League (BCL). He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays. Patton was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, but was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2021–22, he led the Israeli Basketball Premier League in blocks per game.
The 2017–18 Sacramento Kings season was the 73rd season of the franchise, its 69th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 33rd in Sacramento.
Khyri Jaquan Thomas is an American professional basketball player who last played for Petkim Spor of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays. He was drafted 38th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018 NBA draft and then traded to the Detroit Pistons.
Chimezie Chukwudum Metu is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the USC Trojans.
Jaylen Clinton Andrew Nowell is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies of the Pac-12 Conference, and was named the conference's player of the year in 2019. He was selected by the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
