Five years have passed since Washington won their first championship. Let’s take a look at what has happened to the players since then.
On Oct. 10, 2019, the Washington Mystics beat the Connecticut Sun, 89-78 in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals at the Entertainment and Sports Arena to win the WNBA championship for the first (and so far only) time in franchise history. It was the culmination of a long rebuild that started in 2013 with the team made up of a combination of major trade acquisitions, savvy free agent signings and some diamond-in-the-rough draft picks.
Today, we will celebrate the players and coaches on the 2019 Mystics championship team. Who were the players? And where are they today?
Elena Delle Donne, F
- College: Delaware
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2017
- Draft Position: 2nd overall pick in 2013 by the Chicago Sky
- How She Came to the Mystics: Acquired via trade from the Chicago Sky
- 2019 Stats: 19.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.2 BPG. She was an All-Star and the WNBA regular season MVP that season.
- Since 2019: Continued as the Mystics’ franchise player despite injuries through the 2023 season. Represented Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2018 FIBA World Cup,
Emma Meesseman, F
- College: None. Meesseman played for ESB Villeneuve-d’Ascq in Lille, France when she was drafted.
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2013
- Draft Position: 19th overall pick in 2013
- How She Came to the Mystics: Drafted by the Mystics.
- 2019 Stats: 13 PPG, 4.4 RPG. She was the Finals MVP that season, where she was generally utilized as the Mystics’ sixth woman.
- Since 2019: Played one more season for the Mystics in 2020 and for the Chicago Sky in 2022. She is focusing more on her European career and leading Belgium in international competitions. She currently plays for Fenerbahçe in Istanbul, Turkey. Meesseman is generally regarded as one of the Top five players in the world today.
Natasha Cloud, G
- College: Saint Joseph’s
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2015
- Draft Position: 15th overall pick in 2015
- How She Came to the Mystics: Drafted by the Mystics
- 2019 Stats: 9.0 PPG, 5.6 APG, 3.6 RPG
- Since 2019: Opted out of 2020 season for social justice work but returned in 2021 and played through 2023. She left to sign with the Phoenix Mercury in 2024.
Ariel Atkins, G
- College: Texas
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2018
- Draft Position: 7th overall pick in 2018
- How She Came to the Mystics: Drafted by the Mystics
- 2019 Stats: 10.3 PPG, 1.5 SPG
- Since 2019: Played for Team USA in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 FIBA World Cup, winning gold in both. She also continues to play for the Mystics today.
Kristi Toliver, G
- College: Maryland
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2017 (First Stint). She rejoined the Mystics in 2023.
- Draft Position: 3rd overall pick in 2009 by the Chicago Sky
- How She Came to the Mystics: Signed as a free agent
- 2019 Stats: 13 PPG, 5 APG. She was named an All-Star that season.
- Since 2019: As a player, Toliver moved onto the Los Angeles Sparks, where she played in 2021 and 2022. She played one more season for Washington in 2023. Toliver was also an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards in 2019 and finished her time there after the 2019-20 season. She was an assistant for the Dallas Mavericks from 2021-23, and is now the Associate Head Coach of the Phoenix Mercury.
Aerial Powers, G/F
- College: Michigan State
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2018
- Draft Position: 5th overall pick in 2016 by the Dallas Wings
- How She Came to the Mystics: Traded from the Dallas Wings in exchange for Tayler Hill
- 2019 Stats: 11.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG
- Since 2019: She signed with the Minnesota Lynx in 2020. She now plays for the Atlanta Dream.
LaToya Sanders, C
- College: North Carolina
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2012
- Draft Position: 13th overall pick in 2008 by the Phoenix Mercury
- How She Came to the Mystics: Traded to the Mystics in 2012. However, she didn’t play for Washington until 2015.
- 2019 Stats: 6.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG
- Since 2019: Retired as a player in 2020 and transitioned into coaching in 2021 with the Mystics. She is now the Mystics’ Associate Head Coach.
Tianna Hawkins, F
- College: Maryland
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2014
- Draft Position: 6th overall pick in 2013 by the Seattle Storm
- How She Came to the Mystics: Acquired via trade from the Storm
- 2019 Stats: 9.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG
- Since 2019: Played with the Atlanta Dream in 2020 before returning to the Mystics in 2021, where she played through the 2023 season.
Myisha Hines-Allen, F
- College: Louisville
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2018
- Draft Position: 19th overall pick in 2018
- How She Came to the Mystics: Drafted by the Mystics
- 2019 Stats: 7.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG
- Since 2019: Hines-Allen became an All-WNBA player in the 2020 season. Though there was promise that she would emerge as a perennial All-Star, this never capitalized due to injuries. Hines-Allen was traded to the Minnesota Lynx in the middle of the 2024 season, where she now plays.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, G
- College: Maryland
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2017
- Draft Position: 6th overall pick in 2017
- How She Came to the Mystics: Drafted by the Mystics
- 2019 Stats: 4.6 PPG, 1.3 RPG
- Since 2019: Traded to Phoenix but returned to the Mystics in 2022. She remains a player on the Mystics today.
Kim Mestdagh, G
- College: Colorado State
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2019
- How She Came to the Mystics: Signed as an undrafted free agent
- 2019 Stats: 1.5 PPG in limited minutes
- Since 2019: Mestdagh, a Belgian player, was best known as one of the best players in Colorado State history, where she finished fourth in career scoring from 2007-11. For Mystics fans in particular, Mestdagh was best known as one of Meesseman’s sidekicks when the Belgian Cats began their meteoric rise to being a world power. After the 2019 season, she returned to playing solely European basketball and was part of the Cats’ 2020 Olympic team. She most recently played for Famila Schio in Italy. Mestdagh also recently became a mother as well!
Kiara Leslie, G
- College: North Carolina State
- Year Joined the Mystics: 2019
- Draft Position: 10th overall pick in 2019
- How She Came to the Mystics: Drafted by the Mystics
- 2019 Stats: Missed the entire season due to injury
- Since 2019: Played briefly for the Mystics in 2020 but was waived midway through the 2021 season. She is still playing professionally for Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico.
I can go on and on about the players on the 2019 Mystics roster, but for now, this is where the players are at five years later. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!