Tina Charles Bio
Tina Alexandria Charles, born on December 5, 1988, is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Connecticut Sun of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Originally from Jamaica, Queens, New York City, she was selected first overall in the 2010 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun. She is widely recognized for her rebounding, scoring, and leadership, and she helped lead the Connecticut Huskies to two undefeated national championships in 2009 and 2010 alongside teammate Maya Moore.
Charles has won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA and was inducted into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame as the head of the Class of 2024, becoming the first female to lead a class at any major basketball hall of fame and the first active player ever inducted. On August 21, 2024, she became the second all-time scorer in WNBA history.
Early Life and Background
Tina Alexandria Charles was born in New York City, New York, and raised in Jamaica, Queens. She attended Christ the King High School in Middle Village, New York, where she developed into one of the top high school basketball players in the country. During her senior year, she averaged 26.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 5.2 blocked shots per game, earning recognition as the WBCA National Player of the Year, New York State “Miss Basketball,” and a McDonald’s All-American.
She was named New York City Player of the Year by Newsday, the Daily News, and the New York Post, and she was a WBCA All-American. Charles was the leading scorer on a Christ the King team that won 57 consecutive games, finishing the 2006 season with an undefeated record and a USA Today No. 1 national ranking. In the 2006 WBCA High School All-America Game, she scored fifteen points with twelve rebounds and was named MVP of the Red team. She also played AAU basketball for the New York Gazelles.
Path to Basketball
Charles committed to the University of Connecticut, where she played for the UConn Huskies from 2006 to 2010. As a junior in 2009, she helped lead the Huskies to a national championship and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player and a member of the State Farm All-America team. In 2010, she guided UConn to a second consecutive undefeated national championship, solidifying her reputation as one of the top collegiate players in the country.
During her college career, Charles set several UConn records. On March 1, 2010, she became the all-time leading rebounder at UConn, surpassing Rebecca Lobo’s fifteen-year-old record of 1,268 rebounds, and overtook Kerry Bascom and Nykesha Sales to become the school’s all-time leading scorer. She was named Big East Conference Player of the Year in 2010 and majored in psychology with a minor in criminal justice, completing an internship at Bergin Correctional Institution.
Tina Charles Career
Early Career (2010–2013)
Tina Charles was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA draft, selected by the Connecticut Sun. She was named the 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year, setting league records for rebounds with 398 and double-doubles with 22 in her first season. On September 2, 2011, she recorded the first triple-double in Connecticut Sun history with 10 points, 10 assists, and 16 rebounds, although a subsequent review by the league revised her assist total to seven.
By August 18, 2012, she had reached 1,000 career rebounds in her 89th game, the fastest in WNBA history at the time, surpassing Yolanda Griffith’s previous mark of 92 games. She was named the 2012 WNBA MVP, winning 25 of 41 first-place votes, and set the mark for the fastest player in league history to reach 900, 1,000, and 1,100 rebounds.
New York Liberty Era (2014–2019)
Just before the 2014 WNBA draft, Charles was traded to her hometown team, the New York Liberty, in exchange for Kelsey Bone and draft picks including Alyssa Thomas and Elizabeth Williams. In 2016, she had the best season of her career, averaging a career-high 21.5 points per game on 43.9% shooting from the field and 81.2% from the free-throw line, while leading the league in rebounding with 9.9 per game and winning her fourth rebounding title and the scoring title.
Charles was voted into the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game for her fifth career appearance and scored a career-high 36 points in a 93–89 win over the Dallas Wings on June 2, 2017. She re-signed with the Liberty in 2018 and earned her sixth All-Star selection that year. On June 4, 2019, she became the Liberty’s all-time scoring leader after a late fourth-quarter layup in a 78–73 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, finishing with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Washington Mystics, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, and Atlanta Dream (2020–2024)
Charles was traded to the Washington Mystics on April 15, 2020, and was medically excused for the shortened 2020 season due to extrinsic asthma. In 2020, she directed her full WNBA salary to support the Black Lives Matter movement through her Hopey’s Heart Foundation. After the 2021 season, she and the Mystics did not re-sign.
On February 4, 2022, Charles signed with the Phoenix Mercury, but the team struggled, and on June 25, 2022, she and the Mercury agreed to a buyout after she appeared in 16 games and averaged 17.3 points. She signed with the Seattle Storm on June 28, 2022, and later signed with the Atlanta Dream on February 1, 2024, after not being on a roster for the 2023 season.
Return to Connecticut Sun (2025–Present)
On February 2, 2025, Charles signed as a free agent with the Connecticut Sun, returning to the franchise that drafted her 15 years earlier. Her return was widely covered as a notable homecoming for one of the WNBA’s most decorated players.
Notable Events and Milestones
Charles became the second all-time scorer in WNBA history on August 21, 2024. She is considered by many to be the best player in WNBA history not to have appeared in the Finals. She led the 2009 and 2010 UConn Huskies to undefeated national championships, won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA, and was inducted into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame as the head of the Class of 2024.
Tina Charles Career Wins
Throughout her career, Tina Charles has earned multiple individual accolades and team championships at the collegiate, professional, and international levels. She won two NCAA national championships with the UConn Huskies in 2009 and 2010, and she has captured three Olympic gold medals with Team USA. She has been named WNBA MVP, WNBA Rookie of the Year, and a multiple-time WNBA All-Star.
WNBA and International Highlights
Charles was named the 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year and the 2012 WNBA MVP, and she set league records for rebounds and double-doubles as a rookie. She has also excelled internationally, winning gold medals at the 2006 FIBA Americas Championship, the 2009 World University Games, the 2009 Ekaterinburg International Invitational, the 2010 FIBA World Championship, and the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. She was named USA Basketball 2009 Female Athlete of the Year.
Other Wins & Performances
Charles has competed in overseas leagues during WNBA off-seasons, playing in Turkey for Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, in Poland for Wisła Can-Pack Kraków, and in China for the Xinjiang Tianshan Deers, Sichuan Whales, and Beijing Great Wall. She played for Fenerbahçe in the 2024–2025 season, continuing her international career alongside her WNBA commitments.
Tina Charles Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Publicly verified information about Tina Charles’s parents and family background is limited.
Personal Life
Charles has established the Hopey’s Heart Foundation, which distributes Automated External Defibrillators to schools, and she has also funded a school in Mali. In 2018, she was awarded the Mannie Jackson Basketball’s Human Spirit Award for her work on education and heart health. Since 2013, she has donated her full WNBA salary to Hopey’s Heart Foundation.
2025 Season Performance
Tina Charles returned to the Connecticut Sun on February 2, 2025, signing as a free agent after one season with the Atlanta Dream. Her return to the franchise that drafted her in 2010 generated significant attention across the WNBA, as she brought veteran leadership and a proven scoring and rebounding presence to the team. The move paired her experience with a young Sun roster aiming to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference.
Heading into the 2025 season, Charles continued to add to her legacy as the second all-time scorer in WNBA history, a milestone she reached on August 21, 2024. Her 2025 campaign is part of a larger off-season in which she also played for Fenerbahçe in Turkey, reflecting her continued ability to compete at a high level across multiple leagues. As an established veteran and three-time Olympic gold medalist, she remains a central figure in the WNBA and a respected mentor to younger players on the Sun’s roster.