Tina Charles, former WNBA MVP, retires after 14 seasons

Former WNBA MVP Tina Charles has retired after 14 seasons in the league.

“Today I officially announce my retirement from basketball,” the eight-time All Star wrote in a post shared on his social media accounts on Tuesday. “This game gave me everything and I will miss it deeply.”

The veteran center — the No. 1 overall draft pick selected by the Connecticut Sun in 2010 — played for six WNBA franchises during her career, including a lengthy stint with the New York Liberty. Named league MVP during her 2012 campaign, Charles is the WNBA leader in career rebounds (4,262), double-doubles (201) and field goals (3,364), as well as second on the list in career points (8,396) behind Diana Taurasi.

“I have experienced the highest highs and lowest lows, and I am grateful for it all,” Charles wrote, reflecting on his professional career and his “lifetime love of this game.” “Growing up in Queens, New York, basketball was not just a game, it was a language, a rhythm, its survival, its expression. It attracted me very early and I gave myself fully to it. It made me the woman I am today and for that, I would not change a thing.”

Charles is an expected future Hall of Famer. Although a WNBA championship eluded her, her career includes three Olympic gold medals with Team USA, two NCAA championships with the UConn Huskies and a number of titles in foreign leagues. Her individual accolades also include being named to the All-WNBA team nine times, most recently in 2021, and to the league’s All-Defensive team four times. (Charles did not play in the 2020 and 2023 WNBA seasons.)

In a July episode of Sue Bird’s “Bird’s Eye View” podcast, Charles spoke candidly about his thoughts on retirement.

“I thought I would be done in 2023 when I wasn’t playing,” she said. “SO [I] I came back, I found joy again, the love of the game. But here, I probably think about it every day. …Come in, play, at that age, within 30 minutes. Just what you feel physically, and then it’s more matches.

Charles returned to play with the Sun for the 2025 season, starting 42 of 44 games averaging 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds. She received the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award for the second time during her senior season, for her work with Hopey’s Heart Foundation. Charles founded the nonprofit in 2013 in honor of his late aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz, to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and provide automated external defibrillators to schools and recreation centers in need.

According to the New York Times, Charles is currently pursuing a master’s degree in sports management at UConn and is considering the possibility of working in the front office of a WNBA, NBA or college team while continuing his efforts with Hopey’s Heart Foundation. She also plans to get into the beer business.

“There are still dreams in my heart waiting to be lived, and I can’t wait to share this journey with you all,” Charles said in his social media post.