Tina Charles

Personal: Tina Charles is the daughter of Rawiston Charles and Angella Holgate, and she majored in psychology at UConn. She produced a two-hour documentary called Charlie’s Records, which focuses on her father’s record store, recording studio, and influence on the sound of calypso music from Trinidad and Tobago to New York. She was the recipient of the 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Mannie Jackson - Human Spirit Award. Charles founded the Hopey’s Heart Foundation in April 2013 in memory of her late aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz. She totaled 1,750 points, 1,224 rebounds, 440 assists, and 432 blocks in three seasons at Christ the King High School. She was recognized as USA Today, McDonald’s, Parade Magazine, Gatorade, and SI.com National High School Player of the Year in 2006. She was also recognized as 2006 Miss New York Basketball after averaging 26.5 points and 14.8 rebounds per game as a senior. Charles underwrote the construction for a three-classroom school in Ganali in February 2011, which can accommodate up to 150 elementary school children.

Other Professional Experience: Tina Charles is a fourteen-year WNBA veteran who has started 464 of her 473 career games from 2010-25. She was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2010 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun. She is an eight-time WNBA All-Star who owns league career records for total rebounds (4,262), total field goals made (3,364), two-point field goals made (3,167), offensive rebounds (1,191), and defensive rebounds (3,071). She also holds the WNBA career record with 201 double-doubles. Charles is the second-leading scorer in WNBA history with 8,396 points. She ranks 10th on the WNBA’s career regular season games played chart and has guided teams to seven playoff appearances. She is one of five UConn graduates to earn WNBA MVP notice after earning the award in 2012. Charles was recognized as the 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year. She is a nine-time All-WNBA selection, including five First-Team citations. She is a two-time recipient of the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award (2012, 2025) and has earned Community Assist Award status three times. She started 130 games during her first four seasons with the Connecticut Sun, earning All-Star status in 2011 and 2013. She was named WNBA MVP in 2012 after averaging 18.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Charles spent the following six years with the New York Liberty from 2014-20, securing All-Star recognition five times with New York, including three consecutive years from 2017-19. She missed the 2020 WNBA season before joining Washington in 2021, where she averaged a career-best 23.4 points per game in her lone season with the Mystics while claiming Second-Team All-WNBA notice. She split the 2022 season with Phoenix and Seattle, appearing in 34 total games with 26 starts. Charles did not play in the WNBA during the 2023 season before joining Atlanta in 2024 as a starter in 39 games, averaging 14.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest. She returned to Connecticut in 2025 and earned a starting assignment in 42 of 43 games while contributing 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing. She has also played overseas in Turkey, Poland, and China.

International Experience: Charles is a three-time Olympic Gold medalist with Team USA, standing as one of 13 women to earn three or more Olympic basketball Gold medals. She led the United States to a perfect 6-0 record and a Gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She also led Team USA to Gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. She ranked fifth in the 2012 Olympics field by averaging 7.4 rebounds per contest. She owns three FIBA World Cup Gold medals from 2010, 2014, and 2018, along with the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup. Charles helped the United States win the Gold medal at the 2009 World University Games. She was a member of the Gold medal-winning team at the 2006 FIBA Americas U-18 Championship, where she averaged 9.5 rebounds per game.

At UConn: Charles was a four-year letter winner at UConn who shares eighth place on the school career games played list with 152 games. She led the Huskies to a pair of NCAA Division I titles as a junior and senior, in addition to three Final Four appearances. She was the recipient of the 2010 John R. Wooden Award. She was also recognized as the 2010 Naismith Player of the Year, in addition to being named National Player of the Year by the Associated Press and USBWA. Charles is a two-time WBCA All-America selection who also collected three Associated Press All-America certificates. She was a First-Team USBWA All-America choice as a senior. She is a three-time All-BIG EAST Conference First Team selection who was recognized as the 2009-10 BIG EAST Player of the Year. She was honored as the 2009 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and also earned Final Four All-Tournament Team notice as a senior in 2010. She compiled a 146-6 record over four seasons at UConn, including a 78-game win streak to finish her career. Charles is UConn’s all-time leader with 1,367 career rebounds. She is fifth on the Huskies’ career scoring list with 2,346 points and ranks second in school history with 52 career double-doubles. She is fourth in program history with 968 career field goals made and a .610 field goal percentage. She is one of five players in UConn history with 300 or more career blocked shots. Charles led the Huskies in field goal percentage, rebounding, and blocked shots during all four years of her career. She scored in double figures in 120 of her 152 career games and set the UConn sophomore single-season record by grabbing 351 rebounds during the 2007-08 campaign.