NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Tina Charles, the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder, is retiring from the league, the eight-time All-Star announced Tuesday on .
Charles, who had 4,262 rebounds in her career, also finished as the league’s No. 2 all-time scorer behind Diana Taurasi. The 15-year veteran scored 8,396 points in the regular season.
鈥淭oday, I officially announce my retirement from basketball. Fifteen years at the professional level and a lifetime of love for this game,” Charles wrote in her post. “I鈥檝e experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows, and I鈥檓 thankful for all of it. Through it all, I learned how to show up. When doubt got loud and narratives were written about me, I kept showing up. That鈥檚 the New Yorker in me, where resilience is built, not talked about.鈥�
Charles was the No. 1 pick by the Connecticut Sun in 2010 after helping the UConn Huskies win consecutive NCAA championships in 2009 and 2010. She was the AP Player of the Year in 2010.
She played with the Sun until 2013 before a blockbuster trade sent her home to New York.
鈥淪he is undeniably one of the most impactful players to ever wear a Liberty uniform and one of the most accomplished athletes our league has ever seen,鈥� Liberty CEO Keia Clarke said. 鈥淗er excellence on the court, her leadership in the locker room and her unwavering commitment to pouring so much into the New York community, the city that raised her will endure for generations.鈥�
Charles starred in her hometown through the 2019 season. She sat out the WNBA bubble season the next year before playing in Washington, Phoenix, Seattle and Atlanta. Charles came back to Connecticut last season and started 42 games while averaging 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds.
鈥淭ina Charles has been one of the most prolific scorers and rebounder our league has ever seen and her impact in the community has been just as powerful as her impact on the floor,鈥� Atlanta Dream GM Dan Padover said. 鈥淭ina had a historic career and was a cornerstone player during an important time of our league’s growth.鈥�
The 37-year-old center helped the U.S. win three Olympic gold medals as well as three World Cup championships. She earned WNBA MVP honors in 2012 and was the league’s top scorer in two seasons. The one thing Charles never had a chance to do was play in a WNBA Finals.
鈥淭his game gave me everything, and I鈥檒l miss it deeply,鈥� Charles said. 鈥淏ut my mom always taught me, don鈥檛 stop at what you鈥檝e done, keep going toward what you still see. And I still see so much. There are still dreams in my heart waiting to be lived, and I can鈥檛 wait to share that journey with you all.鈥�
Besides her impact on the court, Charles has left a lasting one off of it, helping to save countless lives for more than a decade with her charity 鈥� Hopey’s Heart Foundation. She’s donated 500 AEDs (automated external defibrillators) through the organization that started in 2013 and is named in honor of her aunt.
It’s dedicated to curbing deaths in the United States from sudden cardiac arrest. The organization works to ensure schools and public places have lifesaving equipment such as defibrillators on hand.
Charles said that before she started the foundation she didn鈥檛 realize how common and deadly sudden cardiac arrest could be until she read about Wes Leonard, a high school basketball player who suffered a heart attack and died after basketball practice in 2011.
And when her aunt died a few years later from organ failure, Charles committed herself to helping to solve the problem.
In 2017, when Charles was playing for the New York Liberty, she was surprised who was saved by one of the AEDs that the star had donated.
鈥淏eyond her extraordinary accomplishments, Tina has represented the very best of the WNBA throughout her career,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “Through her leadership and dedication to giving back 鈥� including her work with her Hopey鈥檚 Heart Foundation 鈥� she has made a meaningful impact far beyond the game, earning the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award twice.
“Her legacy will be defined not only by her excellence on the court, but by the standard she set as a leader, a teammate, and a champion for the communities she touched.鈥�
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