For Tina Charles’ former teammates, her impact and legacy extend beyond the court

As the WNBA welcomes the start of the 2026 season, one of the league’s all-time greats has chosen to say goodbye. Tina Charles, an eight-time All-Star and the 2012 WNBA MVP, announced Tuesday that she is retiring from basketball.

“Fifteen years at the professional level and a lifetime of love for this game,” Charles wrote in a post on X. “I’ve experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows, and I’m thankful for all of it.”

Over her 15 WNBA seasons, Charles played for six franchises, her longest tenure being with the New York Liberty from 2014-19. The No. 1 pick in the 2010 WNBA draft, Charles quickly established herself as one of the most dominant players in the league, a dynamic back-to-the-basket talent capable of imposing her will on opponents.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Charles, 37, ends her career as the WNBA’s all-time leader in field goals (3,364) and rebounds (4,262), and is second in points scored (8,396). She also ranks in the top 10 all-time in games played, minutes played and free throws made. The UConn alum was a two-time scoring champion, four-time rebounding champion and earned WNBA All-Defensive honors four times in her career.

As impactful as Charles was on the stat sheet, she also made her presence felt as a teammate and in the communities she played in and belonged to.

Andscape spoke to several of her former teammates — Swin Cash, Kara Lawson, Breanna Stewart and Epiphanny Prince — about Charles’ legacy in women’s basketball, which extends beyond her contributions on the hardwood.

Swin Cash: Teammates with Charles on the New York Liberty (2014-16) and on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal.

Tina is like my little sister. Her impact is not only felt on the floor and what she was able to accomplish but what she did off the court and her impact in the community — every community she went into.

She was what you talk about when you think about those great players back in the day, and we think about those icons like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, like Muhammad Ali, when they had substance to not only their [athletic] career. She’s a throwback to that. I love that she was able to do it her way.

In 2016, Cash and Charles were a part of a Liberty team that was fined by the WNBA for violating its uniform guidelines after wearing shirts in support of Black victims of gun violence and the five Dallas police officers that had been killed that July. Charles and Cash orchestrated a media blackout a day after they had been fined by the league and didn’t answer any basketball-related questions from reporters. The league later rescinded the fines.

It was her, Tanisha Wright and myself. We were very intentional. When we did that media blackout at MSG [Madison Square Garden], it had never been done, but we knew that it was important to have a voice and have a moment — understanding the backdrop and continuing to fight and to push.

In 2013, Charles founded Hopey’s Heart Foundation, named in honor of her late aunt Maureen “Hopey” Vaz. The foundation raises awareness of sudden cardiac arrest through the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in locations such as schools and recreation centers. The foundation has placed more than 500 AEDs in facilities across the U.S.

Her impact with Hopey’s Heart Foundation — that’s life-changing, the stuff that she’s been able to do. It’s rare when you can get great athletes that can be at the pinnacle of their careers and also at the pinnacle of public service and what they care about, and she embodied all of that.

Kara Lawson: teammates with Charles on the Connecticut Sun (2010-13).

My most vivid memories of Tina when she first came into the league — I was a veteran on the Connecticut Sun during her first four years in the WNBA, and one of those was an MVP season. Watching her acclimate to the league very quickly, establishing herself very early as one of the dominant rebounders in the league. Tremendous low-post presence. Then, in just her third year, to be able to be an all-around presence, right? Not just rebounding but dominant for scoring — a dominant force, leading a team as a 24-year-old, you know, it’s hard to do.

Just her growth overall. Then, when we weren’t playing together anymore, watching her grow into a veteran, a leader, someone that takes younger players under their wing. To see that kind of full evolution of hers has been great. When I played with her, there weren’t many better at the time in the league.

She has a great heart, and she’s somebody that got along with everybody in the locker room and had a good time.

She was just great to play with as a guard, because a lot of the attention would go to her and you’d get open 3s and open looks. It was great to play in a pick-and-roll with her as well. She’s very talented, able to finish, just a spectacular talent.

Epiphanny Prince: Teammates with Charles on the Liberty (2015-18), faced each other as high schoolers growing up in New York.

[Tina] did a great job, had an amazing career. We grew up together, started playing against each other when we were probably like 13 or 14. To see everything that she’s done, you know, I’m a big New Yorker, and I love when we can represent it well. I think that she’s probably [at] the top of the list of what she’s done in her career.

I think that the legacy that she’s left — that’s what the next generation has to chase. That’s the standard, in my opinion, now.

We have other great players that came from New York, but [she’s] someone who really played in the city and played in all the tournaments throughout the city growing up, and [she] just represents the city how she did and anywhere she goes — she’s letting them know that she’s from New York. We’re just all proud of her.

Breanna Stewart: Teammates with Charles on the Seattle Storm (2022) and the 2016 U.S. Olympics team that won gold.

Tina is — you know, she’s a legend and obviously a [fellow] UConn alum, former Husky. [I’m] really just proud of what her career entails, you know, being in New York, having the opportunity to play for the Liberty, but also playing elsewhere. We played together in Seattle for a quick stint.

Not only is she someone who’s, like, a bucket — she’s really hard to guard, she’s No. 2 in scoring for a reason — but just the way that she makes an impact in the community. The way that she really kind of makes sure that she expands her reach in every place that she goes, she’s had an incredible career.

She probably could have continued to play for a few more years, but really, shoutout to Tina for all that she’s done for the game and continuing to pass it on.

If I think back to 2016, that Olympics, I was the youngest player there and kind of clung to the Huskies — you know, clung to the UConn players because I needed a little bit of guidance and familiarity. Tina was someone that was definitely kind of bringing me under her wing — helping me understand the game, playing with different players that I’ve been with before, and making sure that I had fun while doing it.

I’m just honored to be able to play with her — obviously playing against her a ton — and she’ll be one of the best to ever do it.

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