Tina Charles Biography – Phoenix Mercury Player

Last updated on April 17th, 2022 at 12:09 pm

Tina Alexandria Charles, aka Tina Charles, is an American professional basketball player for Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association. She is one of the well-renowned faces in the league.

Charles has won many honors, including the WNBA MVP in 2012. She also became a WNBA rebounding champ for 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2016. In addition, she has won three Olympic gold medals with the US team.

The sportwoman’s basketball playing career has kept her in the limelight. Thus, fans are curious to know more about her, so let’s learn more about her life in this article.

Tina Charles Is A New York Native

The professional basketball player was born on December 5, 1988, in Jamaica, New York, USA. She is the daughter of Rawiston Charles and Angella Holgate.

The New York native attended Christ the King High School in Middle Village, New York. She competed in many basketball games at school.

 

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The young girl was named WBCA National Player of the year, Miss New York Basketball, and was selected for McDonald’s All-American game. She was also selected Player of the Year by New York Newsday and the New York Daily News. During her high school, she also played on the AAU club basketball team, the New York Gazelles.

Charles joined the University of Connecticut after completing high school. She was a Psychology major student.

Tina Charles Net Worth And Career

Tina Charles’s net worth is heavily influenced by her basketball career. She has been on this career path for a long time.

In her college days, the athlete led Uconn Huskies to a national title as a junior. On February 13, 2010, she became the 12th UConn Women’s basketball star and the second active player to be honored in the Huskies of Honor.

Connecticut Sun picked Charles as their number one pick in 2010. After her excellent performance for the Sun for two seasons, she was traded to New York Liberty in exchange for Kelsey Bone.

In 2017, Tina had her best season in her career as she scored 21.5 points per game on average. She was also voted into the 2017 WNBA All-star Game, which was her fifth career all-star game appearance.

Later that year, the basketball player scored a career-high thirty points in 93-89 over the Dallas Wings. Then, in 2020, she was traded to Washington Mystics.

The athlete was medically excused for a short period for the 2020 season in July 2020. She had asthma, which impacted her immune system and put her at risk of the coronavirus pandemic. After returning, Tina Charles’ salary was $175,000 in the 2021 season.

The basketball star has signed a year-long $108,000 deal with Phoenix Mercury for the 2022 season. Hence, Tina Charles’ net worth must be a considerable sum.

Sylvia Fowles is another WNBA player with notable earnings.

Tina Charles Founded A Foundation

The UConn alumni founded “Hopey’s Heart Foundation” in 2014. In addition, she established the foundation in memory of her late aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz, who died of multiple organ failure in March 2013.

The Hope’s Heart Foundation is dedicated to promoting sports safety and increasing public awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Over and above that, Tina donated half of her WNBA salary of $100,000 to her foundation in 2014 and 2015. Besides that, she donated $32,000 to fund the construction of a school in Ganale, Africa.

Also Read: More about Amber Portwood

Tina Charles Was Fined $500

Tina Charles was fined $500 for wearing a black t-shirt as it violated the dress guidelines of WNBA in 2016. In particular, she was wearing a t-shirt in the wake of the Police shooting.

The WNBA league fined three teams, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, and Phoenix Mercury, at that time. But, Tina’s actions were supported by her teammates, who were very proud of her.

Charles also posted on her Twitter account with the caption I refuse to be silent. She wore a t-shirt with #blacklivesmatter and #dallas5 appearing on the front.

After the team was fined, the Phoenix Mercury player made a statement,

We’re still advocating for it. We’re still advocating for Black Lives Matter.

Thus, Charles is an advocate and philanthropist.

Is Tina Charles Dating Anyone?

Despite being a famous basketball player, Tina has kept her personal details private. Fans are curious to know who Tina Charles’ boyfriend is and whether she is dating anyone.

But, nothing much has been revealed about Tina’s relationship status. She doesn’t seem to be married or dating anyone at this moment. Nevertheless, she might be keeping her romantic affairs hidden from the public eye.

After all, it’s Charles’ life, and she can choose whether to share openly or not.

Nonetheless, the basketball pro is enjoying a joyful life. Her parents must be very proud of her. We wish Tina a successful career in the WNBA.

• Angella Holgate Basketball Christ the King high School Kelsey Bone Maureen “Hopey” Vaz Rawiston Charles Sports Celebrity Biography Tina Alexandria Charles Tina Charles University of Connecticut