Tina Charles, born in Queens, New York, is a legendary WNBA player and three-time Olympic gold medalist known for her dominant scoring and rebounding as a center. She was the 2010 first-overall draft pick and 2012 WNBA MVP and has played for the Sun, Liberty, Mystics, and Dream. Charles is also recognized for her philanthropic work with the Hopey's Heart Foundation.
Charles played for Christ the King High School in Middle Village, New York, where she had a great basketball career. In her senior year, she averaged 26.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 5.2 blocks per game, earning numerous awards, including WBCA National Player of the Year and "Miss Basketball" of New York. She guided her team to a flawless 30-0 record and a national championship in 2006, which made her a McDonald's All-American.
CAPTION: Early years in Queens shaped WNBA legend Tina Charles. SOURCE: Pinterest After high school, she enjoyed a very fruitful collegiate career at the University of Connecticut, playing college basketball, where she was one of the major players for the Huskies. Together with her teammate Maya Moore, she was able to lead UConn to back-to-back undefeated national championships in 2009 and 2010.
Charles made an impact in the WNBA immediately, as she was awarded Rookie of the Year in 2010. She set a then-record for rebounds in a single season with 398 and recorded 22 double-doubles, which proved right away that she could dominate on the floor.
In 2012, she was named WNBA MVP for leading the league in double-doubles and becoming the quickest player to reach multiple rebounding milestones.
In 2015, Charles was traded to her hometown team, the New York Liberty. With the Liberty, she continued her great play, making multiple All-WNBA selections and appearances at the All-Star Game.
CAPTION: Tina Charles: A force to be reckoned with on the New York Liberty. SOURCE: Pinterest
She became the franchise's all-time leading rebounder.
After playing a spell for the Washington Mystics, she played for the Atlanta Dream as a center. She was called to the league as one of the best scorers and rebounders in her career until now; she has always shown up in the top five of both categories.
Charles has been a member of the USA national team that competes at the international level and captured three gold medals at the 2012, 2016, and 2021 Olympics. She is also an avid philanthropist who formed the Hopey's Heart Foundation to place as many AEDs as possible in schools and within communities.
CAPTION: Tina Charles: Shining on the global stage with international accolades. SOURCE: Pinterest Most of Tina Charles' life is very private, and as such, she isn't fond of sharing it with the world. She was once married to Bernard Webb, after which she had a son named Max. Charles further got into her second marriage in 1993 but never shared any other details concerning the second husband.
She focuses on keeping up her working balance between professional work and family life. She is also involved in philanthropy through Hopey's Heart Foundation, thus showing she does care about having a positive effect on the community outside of basketball.
Tina Charles is often regarded as one of the best players to ever play in the WNBA, not just because of the impressive stats and contributions to the game she put up, despite having never played in a WNBA Final. She's currently second all-time in total rebounds and fourth in total points in WNBA history as of 2023.
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