Positive news: WNBA all-time great has declared her return.
Tina Charles, a former WNBA MVP, has returned to the league. Charles, who missed the entire season and last appeared on the field for the Seattle Storm in 2022, has agreed to a contract with the Atlanta Dream, which was one of the biggest summer surprises.
Most people believed that Charles, a 35-year-old future Hall of Famer, was done at the highest level after he went unsigned the previous season. Clearly, the Dream disagreed with her.
“This basketball team immediately benefits from Tina’s ability to score and rebound the basketball at an elite level,” Dream general manager and executive vice president Dan Padover said in a press release. “Tina is a former MVP and Gold Medalist with a ton of ‘big game’ experience that I know will aid us throughout the course of the WNBA season.”
Despite the Dream’s below.500 record, their rebuild gained significant momentum as they made their first postseason appearance since 2018. It’s evident from their actions thus far this winter that making it to the postseason is no longer sufficient. They have already added Aerial Powers to increase their wing depth, traded for Jordin Canada to secure their point guard position, and re-signed versatile forward Nia Coffey.
Charles has now been added to provide some much-needed celebrity and seasoned expertise. Naturally, she is well past her peak, and her final season in the league was full with turmoil. She abruptly left the Phoenix Mercury in the middle of the 2022 season after missing many games, and she joined with the Seattle Storm.
She might be a strong offensive threat off the bench for a club that battled mightily to score last season and ended ninth in offensive rating, depending on her role and level of buy-in. In light of this, her relationship with Dream coach Tanisha Wright suggests that she and the company are on the same page.
“Having a player who has been tried and true throughout her career will be impactful as our young core continues to mature,” Wright said. Because of the years we spent together as colleagues, Tina and I have a mutual regard for one another. Her will to succeed and competitive nature will also help our squad. To be really honest, I am looking forward to telling her what to do rather than the other way around.”
