SAN FRANCISCO — The difficulty of making a WNBA roster has been well documented. Even with the addition of two new expansion franchises and development spots, only 210 women make a WNBA team. This leaves a lot of fan favorites on the chopping block, and Golden State wing Kaila Charles was no different.
She was cut five times during the first five years of her career and only played in five games over a three-year span. Last season, after being waived for the fifth time, she got an opportunity with the Valkyries. However, this opportunity with Golden State turned out to be her golden ticket to something she had coveted since she was first drafted: security.
“It wasn’t the money, it was the guarantee,” Charles said in an interview with The IX Sports. “It was the security of it that I was most proud of and happy and thankful for because that was one of my goals… to get a guaranteed contract, where I didn’t have to always be looking over my shoulder. So, to finally achieve that, it was a sigh of relief. It was amazing, it was a blessing. I’m very grateful.”
Charles, a native of Glenn Dale, Md., came out of high school as one of the top recruits in the country. She had her choice of colleges, and originally, she felt like she wanted to explore the world. Despite wanting to leave her home state, someone stood in her way: Brenda Freese. The University of Maryland head coach showed strong interest in Charles, attending her high school games and calling her every single week. On her visit to Maryland, Charles felt at home. The environment the coaching staff created drew her in so much that she felt that she would have gone wherever they were.
At Maryland, Charles thrived. She was a multi-time All-American and All-Big Ten First Team selection. In her senior year, she averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game, helping Maryland win the Big Ten Tournament title, the second of her career. However, Charles’ Terrapin career was cut short due to the pandemic. She left Maryland loving every moment she got to play for Freese.
“I think she’s just so competitive,” Charles said of her college coach. “She wants to win. She brings that drive out of her players…she wants us to be our best, but she’s going to push us. She’s not afraid to push the boundaries and make sure that we become our best selves.”
Charles started her WNBA career with the Connecticut Sun, who selected her in the second round of the 2020 draft. However, unlike most rookies, she had to start her WNBA career in the bubble. While some may have seen this as a curse, Charles felt it was one of her best career experiences. She had the chance to sit down with some of the game’s stars, build relationships with them and pick their brains on the ins and outs of the league. Charles also learned just how big her platform was through their social justice work, and was inspired her to use her own voice more.
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Charles played two seasons in Connecticut, appearing in 51 games for the Sun. During this time, she was teammates with players like Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Briann January. All three of those former teammates helped teach Charles about competitive fire and mental toughness. She got to play against Thomas, who was one of Charles’ favorite players during Thomas’ time at Maryland, every single day. However, it was January who was her biggest role model. January was Connecticut’s defensive stopper, and Charles loves defense. She learned how to use her voice and body on the defensive side of the ball from January, and that has only improved during her time in the league.
“Number one is just taking on her matchups,” Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase told the media of the things Charles brings to the team. “I thought she did a really good job with her matchups versus Phoenix, taking pride in that. Getting the rebounds for her size. I think that just shows her heart and her hustle, and then playing on the offensive end, just playing with whatever we need, from spacing the floor to attacking closeouts, to getting out and running, to making the right play. I mean, she kind of just plays the right way every second.”
Charles was waived by the Sun at the end of training camp in 2022, which is when her career took a rocky turn. She signed a brief hardship contract with New York but never played in a game. Later that same season, she signed a hardship contract with Atlanta and played in just one game. The next season, she signed a training camp contract with Seattle and made the Opening Day roster, but appeared in only four games before being waived in June.
For many, this bouncing around the league and playing short-lived roles would have been a blow to their confidence. However, this wasn’t the case for Charles. That isn’t to say being cut didn’t affect her at all, but she believed she belonged in the WNBA, and it helped grow her mental toughness. She used the time when she wasn’t on a team to work on her skills and continue to expand her mental fortitude, so it wouldn’t happen again. It helped her build a resilient mindset, which has become one of her biggest assets.
“It’s hard. This league is really difficult, and when you get cut, it shakes you a little bit,” Veronica Burton told reporters about Charles’ resiliency. “It’s not easy to come back. It’s not easy to go to a new team. And so, what she did last year, coming in on a seven-day contract and making it in a way to keep her here, I think, is a testament to who she is. You talk to her, and her faith is really important to her, and I think it just keeps her grounded and understanding that it’s a privilege to play, it’s a blessing to play, and she doesn’t take it lightly.”
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After not playing in the WNBA in 2024, Charles signed a training camp contract with the Dallas Wings in 2025. She made the opening day roster but was waived by Dallas on June 14th. She signed a hardship contract with them three days later. That day also happened to be the night the Wings played the Valkyries and a night that changed Charles’ career.
Charles scored 10 points in 24 minutes against Golden State on June 17. She also grabbed five rebounds, had four assists, and three steals. She finished with a team-high plus-minus of +21 in a Wings win. She was waived by Dallas 13 days later, but her performance against the Valkyries made her some fans in Golden State, including Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase.
“She kicked our ass almost single-handedly,” Nakase said. “Kicked our ass with her effort, her ability to rebound, her ability to get downhill. We couldn’t go by her. I mean, you name it, she did it. And so right away, when we had an opportunity to pick somebody up, she was the first name I wanted.”
As the season went on, Charles proved herself invaluable to Golden State. She played in 18 games, starting the last eight and both playoff games. She tied a career high, scoring 16 points against both Washington and Dallas, her former team. She averaged a career high in points, rebounds, and steals during her time with the Valkyries last year.
Her skill set fits perfectly with what the Golden State wants to do, thanks to her love for defense and her multi-faceted offensive game. Charles has always been a versatile defender, thanks in large part to her time guarding forwards at Maryland. She had to learn to play and guard on the perimeter when she entered the WNBA, which took some getting used to. However, now six years into her professional career, she is confident in her ability to stop anyone.
“Being able to guard multiple positions, being able to make an impact,” Charles said. “I think my time in Maryland, being a four, I got the experience of guarding more posts so that I can switch a lot, and then that keeps me on the floor. Being versatile on offense and defense, and so that’s just something I take pride in. Growing up, playing with my brother and his friends, I’ve always been determined to get stops and prove myself.”
Heading into this offseason, Charles was a free agent and had the choice to sign anywhere she wanted. As has been well documented, almost every WNBA player was a free agent. There was a lot of talk about how much more money every player would be getting under the new CBA. However, for Charles, money wasn’t what drove her decision.
She signed a two-year, fully guaranteed contract with the Valkyries for $600,000 a year. The fully guaranteed part was the most important piece to Charles. After being waived so many times, she didn’t want to have to look over her shoulder anymore. She didn’t want to wonder if today was the day she’d be cut. All the hard work and grinding she had done in the first five years of her career finally paid off. For her, it was a huge sigh of relief, as she had accomplished another career goal.
Next for Charles is to keep improving and help lead Golden State to a title. This season, she wants to work on developing her game, especially her basketball IQ. She wants to contribute consistently to this team and make an impact on the game night in and night out. Charles just wants to make sure she is helping her team every time she steps on the court. In her mind, she is exactly where she is meant to be, and the journey for her to get here has shaped the player she has become.
“I think just looking at my story, you can see that if you just continue to work, what’s for you is going to happen for you,” Charles said. “There were years where I was working, I was working, but I wasn’t getting the results. But I just kept at it, and it finally came two, three years down the line, and so looking back at it, I realized everything had to happen, exactly how it had to happen for me to get here and for me to be in this mindset, for me to be in this confidence and just be the person who I am today.”
