It's a story of redemption for Tina Charles. Last year, she was hoping to land a mid-season contract with a title-contending team, as she did in 2022 with the Storm.
But the franchises did not rush to hire her and Charles finally had a blank season in 2023. Her former teammate, Tanisha Wright, now coach of the Dream, believed in her for this season, and here she was back in the WNBA after a year without competition.
Already at the beginning of July, her return to the league was an opportunity to take 3rd place from Tamika Catchings in the ranking of the best scorers in history. Better still, last night, the 2012 MVP compiled 12 points and 17 rebounds in the victory over the Phoenix Mercury to surpass Tina Thompson and become the 2nd best scorer in the history of the WNBA. With 7,491 points scored, she is now only surpassed by the legend Diana Taurasi, precisely her opponent this evening.
“I am really very grateful”, Charles estimates. “Just remembering where I was last year, and seeing where I am today. … I thought I was done playing last year. So for me to be here right now is really special. To be on the court with Diana (Taurasi), to have her name next to hers, it’s just unimaginable.”
Records still await him
Second to last in the Eastern Conference, the Dream are still fighting for the last spot in the playoffs and Tina Charles has no plans to celebrate this second place in the ranking of the best scorers in the history of the WNBA. But her coach imagines her celebrating it very well: “She's definitely going to have a beer tonight. She's going to go home and have a beer, sit in her hammock and listen to Caribbean music,” she says ironically.
In her 13th season in the WNBA, the Dream's center can still climb several rankings. She is only 10 double-doubles away from Sylvia Fowles' record, and she is also 30 catches away from Sylvia Fowles and her 4,006 rebounds. All this with 13 games still to play…
“I think when I'm really done playing, I'll look at it differently. I'm just grateful to be surrounded by a great group of women,” she considers. “Seeing Allisha Gray grow, being around Rhyne Howard, having an impact on them. I think that’s what means the most to me at this point in my career.”
