Tina Charles is calling it a career.
The former WNBA Most Valuable Player announced her retirement from basketball on Tuesday via social media.
“Today, I officially announce my retirement from basketball,” the 37-year-old Charles wrote in a post she shared just before the WNBA’s scheduled start of the 2026 season on Friday.
“Fifteen years at the professional level and a lifetime of love for this game. I’ve experienced the highest highs and lowest lows, and I’m thankful for all of it.”
It was all a dream.. pic.twitter.com/YtComVxYYN
— Tina Charles (@tinacharles31) May 5, 2026
Selected first overall by the Connecticut Sun in the 2010 WNBA Draft, Charles immediately lived up to her hype, as she won that year’s Rookie of the Year award. She played for the Sun, New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury. The UConn Huskies product returned to the Sun in 2025, which turned out to be her final year in the league.
Although she never won a WNBA championship, Charles put together one of the best individual basketball resumes ever. Apart from winning the WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year, Charles was named a WNBA All-Star eight times and was a four-time rebounding champion. She is the league’s all-time leader in rebounds and field goals made with 4,262 and 3,364, respectively.
In 473 games played in the WNBA, she averaged 17.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 blocks.
