After a career spanning over a decade, Tina Charles hung up her boots on Tuesday in a move that no one saw coming. She said goodbye to the sport with a statement on X: “It was all a dream… I’ve been able to live out something bigger than I ever imagined. Today, I officially announce my retirement from basketball.” A few hours later, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert paid a heartfelt tribute to Charles.

In an official statement, Engelbert heaped praise on Charles. “Tina Charles has defined excellence and consistency throughout one of the most remarkable careers in WNBA history.”

“From earning unanimous Rookie of the Year honors to being named league MVP, to becoming the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder and second all-time leading scorer, Tina’s impact on the game will be felt for generations to come…On behalf of the WNBA, I want to thank Tina for her lasting contributions to the league and the sport of basketball,” she added further.

A former WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year, there’s not an ounce of doubt that when we turn the pages of the WNBA, we would remember Charles’ career in the same way we would for legends like Sue Bird or Diana Taurasi. Tina Charles is a player of many talents. Most would identify her as the league’s all-time rebounding leader (4262 rebounds at 9 rpg).

But her scoring is not indispensable; she was a two-time league scoring champion in 2016 and 2021, finishing with a career average of 17.8 points per game. Even last season, when her age was slowly going against her, she was quietly leading the Connecticut Sun in points (16.9). Her skill set on the court didn’t crumble, redefining consistency even at that age, as Engelbert pointed out in her statement.

For Tina Charles, playing basketball isn’t just about silverware and individual titles; it’s about giving it her all on the court, regardless of who she plays for. Yet despite these exploits, Charles couldn’t find a squad on any of the teams’ rosters before her goodbye from the sport and the WNBA tip-off.

At least her career concluded in a full-circle moment, as she called it off after her lone spell at Connecticut, the very place where she started in 2010. But that’s what Charles wasn’t restricted to because she established an even greater stature off the court. With her Hopey’s Heart Foundation, Charles has donated over 500 AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) to schools and even funded a school in Mali.

WNBA commissioner Engelbert didn’t forget to mention these achievements in her statement as well. “Beyond her extraordinary accomplishments, Tina has represented the very best of the WNBA throughout her career,” she said. “Through her leadership and dedication to giving back – including her work with her Hopey’s Heart Foundation – she has made a meaningful impact far beyond the game, earning the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award twice.”

As a WNBA giant calls it a day, Engelbert wasn’t the only one who shared heartfelt wishes for her in the recent few days, as players have rallied behind her for a decorated career.

Tina Charles receives emotional messages from former teammate and teams

Over a long career, Charles has formed close bonds in the WNBA. Because of her successes, players and even teams respect her greatly. And it’s quite prevalent after her retirement, the Connecticut Sun, her first professional team, and the New York Liberty, the team in which she spent the most seasons, wished her well.

“While it’s impossible to fully encapsulate Tina Charles’ career in a single thought, she 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,” Liberty CEO Keia Clarke had said. “It has been one of the greatest honors in our organization’s history to have Tina start and end her professional career in a Sun uniform,” a statement released by the Sun read.

This clearly reflects the ease and comfort that Charles provided her employers; even the CEO of the team she left in 2019 released a statement in her honor. Her former teammate on the Seattle Storm, Gabby Williams, spoke on Charles’ retirement, reflecting on the legacy the latter will leave behind.

“I know how much basketball means to her,” she said. “I’m always sad to see somebody leave our game, but I think she’s gonna leave such a legacy behind. I think she has nothing to regret. I mean, she’s broken some crazy records. She’s one of the best rebounders, best scorers of all time, and (I’m) just lucky to say that I got to play with a legend.”

Of course, the moment will quietly die down as the WNBA hype takes over in a few days. But when the season tips off this time around, the frontcourt will look empty sometimes, as the one who owned it for the last decade isn’t there anymore.