Tina Charles, WNBA rebounding leader, retires from basketball

Tina Charles (L) won two NCAA national championships, three Olympic gold medals and was the 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year and 2012 WNBA MVP. File Ron Sachs/UPI

Charles, the No. 1 overall pick by the Sun in the 2010 WNBA Draft, is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. She also helped lead the UConn women's basketball team to two consecutive undefeated, national championship winning seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Charles became the 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year, a nine-time All-NBA selection, four-time rebounding champion, two-time scoring champion and the 2012 WNBA MVP. She also was a four-time All-Defensive Team selection, an eight-time All-Star, three-time Community Assist Award winner and two-time Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award recipient.

"Tina Charles has defined excellence and consistency throughout one of the most remarkable careers in WNBA history," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.

"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.

"Beyond her extraordinary accomplishments, Tina has represented the very best of the WNBA throughout her career."

Charles also thanked her supporters, including family, friends, former coaches, teammates and fans.

"Fifteen years at the professional level and a lifetime of love for this game," Charles wrote. "I've experienced the highest highs and lowest lows, and I'm thankful for all of it. Through it all, I learned how to show up.

"When doubt got loud and narratives were written about me, I kept showing up. That's the New Yorker in me, where resilience is built, not talked about."

The 6-foot-4 center participated in seven postseason runs, but never reached the WNBA Finals. Her 8,396 points in the WNBA are the second-most in league history, trailing only Diana Taurasi's 10,646.

"This game gave me everything, and I'll miss it deeply," Charles wrote. "But like my mom always taught me, don't stop at what you've done, keep going toward what you still see. And I still see so much.

"There are still dreams in my heart waiting to be lived, and I can't wait to share that journey with you all."