Tina Charles (basketball)

Early life

Charles played basketball at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, New York. As a senior, she averaged 26.5 points, 14.8 rebounds and 5.2 blocked shots per game, earning WBCA National Player of the Year, New York state "Miss Basketball," and McDonald's All-American honors. She led Christ the King to 57 consecutive wins and a USA Today #1 ranking after an undefeated 2006 season. Charles also played AAU basketball for the New York Gazelles.

College career

Charles led the UConn Huskies to a national title as a junior in 2009 and was named Final Four MOP. After that championship, she told ESPN, "Barack Obama, we will be here soon!" and after the 2010 title she said, "President Barack Obama, we're back!

On February 13, 2010, she became the 12th UConn women's basketball player honored in the Huskies of Honor and the second honored while still playing. She was named Big East Conference Player of the Year for 2010. Charles majored in psychology with a minor in criminal justice and interned at Bergin Correctional Institution.

WNBA career

Charles was the overall #1 pick in the 2010 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun and was named 2010 Rookie of the Year, setting league records for rebounds (398) and double-doubles (22). On September 2, 2011, she recorded what was initially credited as the first triple-double in Sun history, with 10 points, 10 assists and 16 rebounds; subsequent league review changed three assists, leaving her with seven.

On August 18, 2012, she reached 1,000 career rebounds in her 89th game, faster than any other WNBA player. She was named 2012 WNBA MVP with 25 of 41 first-place votes, leading the league in double-doubles and becoming the fastest to 900, 1,000 and 1,100 rebounds. Before the 2014 draft, she was traded to the New York Liberty for Kelsey Bone and two fourth-round picks.

USA Basketball

Charles was a member of the USA Women's U18 team that won gold at the 2006 FIBA Americas Championship, recording a double-double in the gold medal game against Canada (13 points, 13 rebounds) and leading her team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg). In fall 2009, she was one of three college players invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp. She played for the US at the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, winning gold and leading the team in scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg); in the gold medal game against Russia she had 28 points and 18 rebounds.

On October 5, 2009, she was selected for the USA National Team traveling to the Ekaterinburg International Invitational, the only college player on the roster, and scored in double figures in all three games. Charles was named USA Basketball 2009 Female Athlete Of The Year. She was also named to the team for the WNBA versus USA Basketball exhibition game.

Did You Know?

• Charles played overseas for Galatasaray, Wisła Can-Pack Kraków, Fenerbahçe, Xinjiang Tianshan Deers, and Sichuan Whales.
• She established Hopey's Heart Foundation to distribute Automated External Defibrillators (AED) to schools and funded a school in Mali.
• In 2018, she received the Mannie Jackson Basketball's Human Spirit Award for her work on education and heart health.