Eight-time WNBA All-Star and three-time Olympian Tina Charles is signing a one-year deal with the Connecticut Sun as a free agent, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
With the move, Charles returns to the franchise that initially drafted her No. 1 overall in 2010, where she spent the first four seasons of her career and won league MVP in 2012.
Charles, a nine-time All-WNBA selection and three-time all-defensive team pick, has averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds across her storied career. She tops the league's all-time rebounding list with 4,014 boards and is second overall in scoring with 7,696 points, only behind fellow former UConn Husky Diana Taurasi.
Also a two-time champion at UConn and former national player of the year, Charles is widely regarded as one of the best players in women's basketball history. She won three Olympic gold medals in London (2012), Rio (2016), Tokyo (2020) with USA Basketball and was named to the WNBA's 25th anniversary team in 2021.
After beginning her pro career in Connecticut, Charles spent her next six WNBA seasons with the New York Liberty before stints with the Washington Mystics, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm and most recently the Atlanta Dream in 2024.
Charles joins a new-look Sun team that has turned over its entire starting five in the offseason: Brionna Jones (Atlanta) and DeWanna Bonner (Indiana Fever) left as unrestricted free agents, Alyssa Thomas was cored and traded to Phoenix, and Ty Harris and DiJonai Carrington were traded to the Dallas Wings. The team also recently hired Rachid Meziane as head coach to replace Stephanie White after she departed for the Fever.
The Sun, who still have Marina Mabrey under contract, acquired Natasha Cloud, Jacy Sheldon and the 2025 No. 8 pick in the four-team trade that sent Thomas to Phoenix. They also received Rebecca Allen in the deal, but sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday that there's another trade set to occur that would send Allen to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Lindsay Allen and the rights to Nikolina Milic.
Charles was traded from Connecticut ahead of the 2014 draft to her hometown team, the Liberty, a deal that eventually led to the Sun drafting Thomas fourth overall.
