Former league MVP and three-time Olympic gold medalist Tina Charles announced her retirement from basketball on Tuesday after a 14-season WNBA career.
Charles, 37, shared the news in a social media post two days before the WNBA tips off its 30th season on Friday. She finishes as the league’s career leader in rebounds (4,262), field goals (3,364), and games played, and she ranks second on the all-time scoring list with 8,396 points, behind only Diana Taurasi.
“Today, I officially announce my retirement from basketball,” Charles wrote on X.
It was all a dream.. pic.twitter.com/YtComVxYYN
— Tina Charles (@tinacharles31) May 5, 2026
Connecticut Sun Legend
Selected by the Connecticut Sun with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010 WNBA Draft out of UConn, Charles was a unanimous Rookie of the Year and won league MVP two seasons later after leading the WNBA in rebounding for a third straight year. She returned to Connecticut in free agency in 2025 for her first season back with the franchise since 2013. She led the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game and averaged 5.8 rebounds per game over 42 starts as the Sun went 11-33.
The Sun released a statement following the news.
“Connecticut will always be home for Tina Charles, and she will forever be part of the foundation on which our franchise stands. We thank Tina for everything she has given to the Connecticut Sun and to the game of basketball. Her legacy here is permanent, and her influence will be felt for generations to come.
“Once a Sun, always a Sun.”
In 2025, Charles set a Sun single-season franchise scoring record with 700 points and recorded her 1,000th career assist on July 28. Additionally, she became the WNBA’s all-time leader in field goals made, offensive rebounds, and games played.
Charles was an eight-time All-Star and earned nine All-WNBA selections, four All-Defensive Team nods, four rebounding titles, and two scoring crowns. In 2021, Charles was named to the WNBA’s 25th Anniversary Team.
The lone accolade that eluded her was a WNBA championship. Charles never reached the WNBA Finals during stops with the Sun, New York Liberty, Washington Mystics, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, and Atlanta Dream.
Internationally, Charles helped the United States to Olympic gold in 2012, 2016, and 2020, along with three FIBA World Cup titles. At UConn, she joined Maya Moore to win back-to-back national championships in 2009 and 2010.
“She is a shining example of how you do it,” said Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike. “She was consistently performing every single one of those years…. We definitely need to throw roses at her feed.”
Impact Far Beyond the Court
In her statement, Charles described feeling at peace with the decision and framed it as making room for the next wave of players to step into the league.
With her third field goal of the game, Tina Charles officially passes Diana Taurasi for the most field goals in WNBA history 3,342! pic.twitter.com/lDSJ7d5Q1i
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 4, 2025
“At some point, you have to edit your life,” she wrote. “That’s not failure, that’s clarity.”
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued a statement Tuesday recognizing Charles’ on-court résumé and her community work through her Hopey’s Heart Foundation, which has placed more than 500 automated external defibrillators in schools and community organizations in honor of her late aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz. Charles received the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award for the second time in 2025.
“Tina’s impact on the game will be felt for generations to come,” Engelbert said.
A Queens native, Charles entered unrestricted free agency this offseason and went unsigned as training camps opened around the league.
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The post Tina Charles, WNBA's All-Time Rebounding Leader, Retires After 14 Seasons appeared first on Ballislife.com.