The Connecticut Sun landed their first free agent addition of the 2025 offseason on Sunday, signing eight-time WNBA All-Star and UConn women’s basketball legend Tina Charles to a one-year contract.
Charles returns to Connecticut after she began her career with the Sun as the franchise’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft. She played four seasons with the team, winning Rookie of the Year in 2010 and the WNBA MVP award in 2012. She earned All-WNBA honors in all four years and received votes for Defensive Player of the Year in each of her first three seasons before she was traded to the New York Liberty in 2014.
The former UConn star has gone on to become the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder (4,014) and second all-time leading scorer (7,696).
“Today marks an incredible moment in our team’s history as we welcome back one of the greatest players to every grace the WNBA,” Sun general manager Morgan Tuck said in a release. “Tina not only helped define the success of this franchise during her early years, but she also set the bar for excellence, both on and off the court. Her passion, leadership, and dedication to the game have left an incredible mark on our league, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her return to the team where it all began. This is a full-circle moment that strengthens our foundation and inspires the next generation of players and fans alike. We are extremely excited for this next chapter of Connecticut Sun history with Tina back in a Sun uniform.”
Charles, a 6-foot-4 forward, had a prolific career at UConn from 2006-10 and is one of four players in program history to win both the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award. She helped lead the Huskies to three Final Four appearances and back-to-back national championship in 2009 and 2010. Charles remains the fourth-highest scorer in UConn history with 2,346 career points, and she holds the program record for career rebounds with 1,367.
The Sun ended a two-year postseason drought with Charles at the helm, reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2011 and the conference finals in 2012. Charles played six seasons in New York after leaving Connecticut, then signed as a free agent with the Washington Mystics in 2021. Since then Charles has bounced around to different franchises, appearing for both the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm in 2022 before sitting out the 2023 season. She signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream in 2024 and averaged 14.9 points plus 9.6 rebounds for the team last season.
Charles also has 13 experience playing overseas in the EuroLeague, which makes her a strong fit for first-year head coach Rachid Meziane. Meziane has never coached in the WNBA before but spent 20 seasons in the French Ligue Feminine as well as the French and Belgian women’s national teams.
The move comes after the Sun lost its entire starting lineup in just a few days, with Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and Brionna Jones all leaving either via trade or free agency.
WNBA free agency: What’s next for Connecticut Sun in 2025 after losing entire starting lineup?
