Tina Charles

Personal

Tina Charles is the daughter of Rawiston Charles and Angella Holgate and majored in psychology at UConn. She has a bison poodle named Huey and has worn No. 31 since high school.

In 2013, she founded Hopey’s Heart Foundation in memory of her late aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz. The foundation focuses on heart health awareness and prevention. Charles is also the recipient of the 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Mannie Jackson – Human Spirit Award for her philanthropic impact. In 2011, she underwrote the construction of a three-classroom school in Ganali, capable of serving up to 150 elementary school children.

She produced a two-hour documentary titled Charlie’s Records, which highlights her father’s record store and recording studio and its influence on calypso music from Trinidad and Tobago to New York.

Before her collegiate career, Charles starred at Christ the King High School, where she totaled 1,750 points, 1,224 rebounds, 440 assists, and 432 blocks in three seasons. In 2006, she was named USA Today, McDonald’s, Parade Magazine, Gatorade, and SI.com National High School Player of the Year, as well as Miss New York Basketball after averaging 26.5 points and 14.8 rebounds per game as a senior.

Charles models her game after NBA legends Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan and cites Swin Cash, Lauren Jackson, and Lisa Leslie among her women’s basketball idols. She has said that meeting Patrick Ewing left her starstruck and considers her Bible her most prized possession. Outside of basketball, she enjoys visiting breweries, vineyards, and restaurants, and she participated in softball and soccer as a child.

Other Professional Experience

Tina Charles is a 14-year WNBA veteran and one of the most accomplished players in league history. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun, Charles has started 464 of 473 career games from 2010 through 2025 and ranks among the most durable and productive players in the WNBA.

An eight-time WNBA All-Star and 2012 WNBA MVP, Charles holds multiple WNBA career records, including total rebounds (4,262), total field goals made (3,364), two-point field goals made (3,167), offensive rebounds (1,191), defensive rebounds (3,071), and double-doubles (201). She is the second-leading scorer in WNBA history with 8,396 career points and ranks 10th all-time in regular-season games played. Over her career, she has led her teams to seven WNBA Playoff appearances.

Charles was named the 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year and has earned nine All-WNBA selections, including five First-Team honors. She is also a two-time recipient of the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award (2012, 2025) and a three-time WNBA Community Assist Award winner.

She began her professional career with the Connecticut Sun, starting 130 games over her first four seasons and earning All-Star recognition in 2011 and 2013. In 2012, she was named WNBA MVP after averaging 18.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Charles played six seasons with the New York Liberty (2014–20), earning five All-Star selections, including three consecutive appearances from 2017 to 2019. After sitting out the 2020 season, she joined the Washington Mystics in 2021 and averaged a career-best 23.4 points per game, earning Second-Team All-WNBA honors. She split the 2022 season between the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm, appearing in 34 games with 26 starts.

Following a hiatus from the WNBA in 2023, Charles returned in 2024 with the Atlanta Dream, where she started 39 games and averaged 14.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest. In 2025, she rejoined the Connecticut Sun, starting 42 of 43 games and contributing 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

In addition to her WNBA success, Charles has competed professionally overseas in Turkey, Poland, and China.

International Experience

Tina Charles is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with USA Basketball and one of only 13 women in history to win three or more Olympic basketball gold medals. She helped Team USA capture gold at the 2012 London Olympics, the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where the United States posted a perfect 6-0 record.

At the 2012 Olympics, Charles ranked fifth in the tournament in rebounding, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game. She also owns three FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup gold medals (2010, 2014, 2018) and won gold at the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup.

Earlier in her international career, Charles helped the United States win gold at the 2009 World University Games and 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.

College Experience

Tina Charles starred at the University of Connecticut, where she became one of the most decorated players in UConn women’s basketball history. A four-year letter winner, she appeared in 152 career games, tying for eighth on the program’s all-time list.

Charles led the Huskies to two NCAA Division I National Championships as a junior and senior, along with three Final Four appearances. She was named the 2010 John R. Wooden Award winner and the 2010 Naismith Player of the Year, while also earning National Player of the Year honors from the Associated Press and the USBWA.

A two-time WBCA All-American and three-time Associated Press All-American, Charles was also a First-Team USBWA All-American as a senior. She earned three First-Team All-BIG EAST selections and was named the 2009–10 BIG EAST Player of the Year. She was recognized as the 2009 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and earned Final Four All-Tournament Team honors again in 2010.

During her four seasons at UConn, the Huskies compiled a remarkable 146-6 record, including a 78-game winning streak to close her career. Charles is UConn’s all-time leader in rebounds (1,367) and ranks fifth in scoring with 2,346 points. She ranks second in school history with 52 career double-doubles and fourth with 968 field goals made and a .610 career field goal percentage. She is also one of just five players in program history to record 300 or more career blocked shots.

Charles led UConn in field goal percentage, rebounding, and blocked shots in each of her four collegiate seasons. She scored in double figures in 120 of 152 career games and set a UConn sophomore single-season record with 351 rebounds during the 2007–08 season.