“It was all a dream,” Tina Charles wrote.
What does it mean to retire from the highest heights of your profession, what many believe to be your calling? That’s the question Tina Charles attempted to answer Tuesday morning when she announced her departure from the sport she’s dominated for over 15 years.
That story began in Queens, New York, where Charles was born and raised. She played in tournaments in Harlem and at Madison Square Garden; her high school career was spent at Christ the King High School.
It ended on May 5 with the official announcement of her retirement. In the coming days, weeks and, likely, even years, there will be lots of reminiscing about stats and figures, records smashed and contributions made. But at the center of it all is the story of who Charles is, the person she has been for herself and for others, and who she will be.
A kid from Queens
Charles told the New York Times in 2015 that growing up in New York was an asset to her game. At the time, she and the New York Liberty were preparing for a tight turnaround against the Indiana Fever in the playoffs.
“Being born and raised in New York, nothing is easy,” she said. “Nothing really goes your way. So it doesn’t surprise me that we have to play tomorrow. It’s New York. Things like this happen. You just got to respond.”
Charles did a lot of responding in her career. In high school, she was a target while playing for Christ the King, something noted by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski in 2006.
Detailing a matchup against Bergtraum High School, Wojnarowski noted the opposing school’s coach, Ed Grezinsky, hoped Epiphanny Prince (who now works for the Liberty after retiring from playing in 2024) could one-up the kid from Queens who was causing a lot of problems.
Instead, the opposite happened. Even though Prince scored 113 points in the match, Charles — then the top high school player in the country — hit the buzzer beater and won the game for her team.
Charles graduated in 2006 and joined the UConn Huskies. Unsurprisingly, she started in 32 of her 36 games during her freshman season and was named USBWA National Freshman of the Year and the Big East Freshman of the Year.
She broke records all season long, including the school’s rebound record. Charles picked up 296 boards that season, a sign of things to come.
“I’d say since the 2009 season at Connecticut, Tina Charles has been one of the best basketball players in the world,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement Tuesday. “That’s a long, long time to be at the top of your game. Winning National Championships, Olympic gold medals, World Cup medals, she’s had a huge impact on every team she’s ever played on. I’m proud of her because it’s a Hall of Fame career, and I look forward to seeing her at her Hall of Fame ceremonies.”
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First overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft
Considering Charles’ collegiate accomplishments, it was no surprise when the Connecticut Sun selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft.
“From the moment Tina Charles stepped onto the court as the first overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft, she set a standard of excellence that would define not only her career, but our franchise as well,” the Sun said in a statement.
Charles made an immediate impact with the Sun. She was named Rookie of the Year at the end of her first season, in which she set an all-time league record for rebounds (398) and double-doubles (22) in a single season.
She continued on that track throughout her time with the team and was named MVP in 2012. But as the Sun also noted, her importance to the franchise extended well beyond any honors and accolades.
“Tina brought heart to this organization,” the team said. “She carried herself with pride, professionalism, and a deep commitment to the game and the community. Her passion for basketball and her respect for its history were evident every time she stepped on the floor.”
Eric Thibault, whose dad Mike coached Charles on the Sun, echoed that sentiment, adding his own commendations of her career.
“I was lucky enough to be around her twice,” he told reporters Tuesday. “I mean, my dad drafted her in Connecticut, so we had her for three years there, including her MVP year, and she had a fantastic year in Washington.
“When I think about Tina, I think about somebody that just had a lot of pride as a player. And she might have an off night. Rarely did she have two in a row. I think later in her career, she was just so diligent about coming in, getting her work, doing her stuff pre-practice, how she made herself into a better shooter. (She’s) one of the all-time greats, the stats back it up, but congrats to her on a tremendous career.”
Charles was traded to the Liberty ahead of the 2014 season, a move that brought her back home and also properly introduced her to Dan Padover, who was hired as the team’s video coordinator in 2012. In some ways, Padover and Charles grew up together during those years.
Padover, now Atlanta Dream’s general manager, reflected on Charles’ impact on the league, and more specifically New York, on Tuesday.
“Obviously, I think the first thing is what a historic career,” Padover told The IX Sports. “I think she’ll go down for a long time as one of the most prolific scorers and rebounders in league history, and I think that’ll be the case for a while. … She was, for that time span on the Liberty, one of, if not the most dominant player in our league.”
Alongside Charles, the 2014 Liberty roster included Swin Cash and Cappie Pondexter, among others, two players who are widely considered some of the greatest to ever play in the WNBA. Their talent didn’t mean Charles got to take it easy; if anything, iron sharpened iron.
“She had to show up every single night for that Liberty team to compete,” Padover added. “And she did show up every night. And I think the amount of minutes she had to play, the workload she had there, the production that she had was very unique. And most players can’t carry that load, but she was able to.”
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Charles’ time with the Liberty included the best season of her career in 2016, when she averaged 21.5 points per game and led the league in rebounds with 9.9 per game. But there’s more to her story, too. The move to New York also allowed Charles to invest in the community that nurtured her.
“I just think like, just what great impact she had on the court, off the court with a lot of her community work,” Padover said. “I think of her as a true New Yorker. Playing in high school at Christ the King, going to UConn nearby, and then being part of a great Liberty team in the 2015 era was just really, really exciting for that city, and further to playing for an over-home crowd. I know it was just unique to professional sports.”
At the same time, she was a thriving Olympian, having represented the United States in the 2012 London Games, a feat she’d repeat in Rio for the 2016 Games and in Tokyo for the 2020 Games (which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
“Tina Charles is one of the most impactful players in the history of the women’s game,” USA Basketball said in a statement. “Her excellence elevated the USA Basketball Women’s National Team program on and off the court. Her leadership, professionalism and commitment to representing her country have set a standard for generations to come. Her legacy will have a lasting influence on the growth of the sport around the world.”
Of course, the Liberty wasn’t her only home in the WNBA. Charles also spent a season with the Washington Mystics, the Phoenix Mercury, the Seattle Storm, the Atlanta Dream — where she reunited with Padover — and a final year back with the Sun.
Reflecting on the decision to bring Charles to the Dream in 2024, Padover explained all the ways it made sense for the team.
“Tina was a consummate pro. She was obviously in the twilight of her career, but we needed that post presence,” Padover said. “We needed a competitive player. We needed someone to level us up and help us get to the playoffs. And Tina was just the consummate pro and still, although later in her career, just as dominant on the glass and still a prolific scorer.”
That dominance was something that defined the league for 16 years and will be remembered for many more to come.
“Tina Charles has defined excellence and consistency throughout one of the most remarkable careers in WNBA history,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “From earning unanimous Rookie of the Year honors to being named league MVP, to becoming the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder and second all-time leading scorer, Tina’s impact on the game will be felt for generations to come.
“… On behalf of the WNBA, I want to thank Tina for her lasting contributions to the league and the sport of basketball. Her legacy will be defined not only by her excellence on the court, but by the standard she set as a leader, a teammate, and a champion for the communities she touched.”
In between her WNBA commitments, she played overseas and, most recently, in Athletes Unlimited. In fact, her 2026 season with AU ended up being her final time playing professional basketball in the United States.
Charles’ impact on the league was huge during her one season in Nashville. She tallied 4,875 leaderboard points and averaged 16.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game across 12 starts.
“The AU Pro Basketball family extends our congratulations to Tina on a truly legendary career,” AU Pro Basketball’s Vice President Megan Perry told The IX Sports in a statement. “We celebrate her remarkable achievements on the court and her lasting impact in the community beyond the game. We’re especially grateful she chose to spend her final on-court chapter with AU, and we wish her all the very best in a well-deserved retirement.”
Activism and giving back
As much as she enjoyed a prolific professional career, Charles was also a powerful activist throughout her team in the league.
In 2020, she announced plans to donate her salary to Black Lives Matter, but her immersion into activism dates back to at least 2016 — the year many WNBA players wore “Black Lives Matter” shirts ahead of their games or donned plain black shirts in protest of police violence.
Per reporting from The New York Times at the time, Charles was known for being quiet as a collegiate player and even during the early years of her WNBA career. That changed following the fatal police shootings of Philando Castile in Michigan and Alton Sterling in Louisiana.
Charles began to use her voice and platform to organize protests with her fellow WNBA players and to call for an end to gun violence.
“Of course, as an individual, I do have goals to be one of the best players in the WNBA,” she said at the time. “But when you reach a goal, nothing compares to the person you become along the way.”
For Charles, the moment was also about representing players who didn’t feel they had the power to be as outspoken as she was. She turned her WNBA workout shirt inside out the same day she was scheduled to be awarded Player of the Month following news of the police shooting death of Charles Kinsey in Miami, despite pressure from the league.
“I thought, ‘No, I can’t comply with what the WNBA is saying for us to do in the wake of the fines,’” she later said of the moment.
Charles’ work off the court didn’t end there. She is the founder of Hopey’s Heart, a nonprofit she established in memory of her late aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz, who died of multiple organ failure in 2013.
She donated half of her WNBA salary to the organization each year of her career, at times donating the full amount. That contribution made it possible for the nonprofit to provide automated external defibrillators around the entire United States.
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Charles’ impact permeates the entire WNBA
The lasting effects of Charles’ legacy are everywhere in the league. There’s no shortage of players and coaches who would jump at the chance to speak about her if asked.
Though the Los Angeles Sparks’ Dearica Hamby never played with Charles, the pair are good friends. Hamby even told reporters that she knew about Charles’ retirement plans before the rest of the world did.
“Tina’s a legend,” Hamby said, “it’s somewhat difficult to picture her off the court. [I] never got to play with her, but, obviously, what she’s been able to do, her skillset, her passion on and off the court, her commitment to other people is truly inspiring. And she didn’t get her farewell tour, in a sense, but I know she’s at peace.”
Nneka Ogwumike, Hamby’s teammate, played with Charles on the USA national team. Entering her 15th season, Ogwumike has faced Charles regularly in her career.
“I feel like I was almost kind of raised in this league with (Charles),” Ogwumike told reporters. “She’s only, I think, a year ahead of me, and I’ve been playing against her since college days, and we’ve developed a friendship.
“Obviously, I only got to play with her on the National Team level, but even at that, I’m still grateful to have been able to share the court with her in that way. And even as a competitor, she’s someone who made me better. … 15 years is a long time. I didn’t expect to be 15 years in. She, to me, is a shining example of how you do it. She was consistently performing every single one of those years.
“I don’t know if there’s any more motivation than that, but we definitely, definitely need to throw roses at her feet. So anytime, anytime we have the chance, we have to show that appreciation for her. I’m sure she’ll be around. She’s always been such a strong advocate for pros and the W even, even if she was elsewhere.”
The Dream’s Nia Coffey played with Charles in Atlanta when the two overlapped for one season with the Dream. Even in that short time, she said Charles’ impact was felt.
“Tina was really cool,” Coffey told The IX Sports. “I think at that point, with our team and in our career, we really needed some leadership, and we were still trying to find ourselves as a team. She was able to come in and really help us with that. And just bring her experience, her wisdom and her expertise really helped us just kind of mature and step into things that probably would have taken us a little bit longer if we didn’t have that type of leadership.”
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said Charles’ physicality made her “very, very difficult to defend.” She also noted that Charles has set the standard for many of the post players dominating in today’s game.
“She developed being able to come away from the basket,” Reeve said. “(She’s) just a great player. I’m happy for her. … When you think of some of the great rebounders that we’re seeing in our game now, like an Angel Reese or an A’ja Wilson, you see glimmers of Tina Charles in their game.”
Hoop dreams and reality
In her post, Charles also looked back fondly on her time in the league.
“Fifteen years at the professional level and a lifetime of love for this game. I’ve experienced the highest highs and lowest lows, and I’m thankful for all of it. Through it all, I’ve learned how to show up. When doubt gets loud and narratives were written about me, I kept showing up. That’s the New Yorker in me, where resilience is built, not talked about.
“At some point, you have to edit your life. Not everything and not everyone is meant for the whole journey. Growth requires honesty, and for me, that means recognizing when my impact is being called in a new direction. That’s not failure, that’s clarity.”
After thanking those who have impacted her career the most, including her family and her late aunt, coaches, teammates and fans, Charles turned her attention back to the place where her journey started and ended.
“This game gave me everything, and I’ll miss it deeply,” she wrote. “But like my mom always taught me, don’t stop at what you’ve done, keep going toward what you still see. And I still see so much.”
Tina Charles left the WNBA today, but the WNBA will never leave her. The future is bright, and there will always be room for someone considered one of the strongest and best to ever play the game.
The IX Basketball’s Terry Horstman contributed reporting for this story.
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