NEW YORK — Tina Charles passed Sylvia Fowles to become the WNBA’s all-time rebounding leader with 4,007 in her career on Thursday night.
Charles needed three rebounds coming into the game and got them quickly in the first quarter of the Atlanta Dream’s game against the New York Liberty. She broke Fowles’ mark on an offensive tap out that eventually led to a basket 3:08 into the game.
The 35-year-old star got her start in Connecticut before being traded to New York before the 2014 season. The Liberty honoured Charles at the end of the first quarter with a video tribute. She waved and pointed to the crowd.
She also played in Washington, Phoenix and Seattle before coming to Atlanta this year after sitting out last season.
Charles has averaged 9.3 rebounds during her 14-year career. She has 193 double-doubles in her career to tie Fowles for the most in WNBA history.
A New York native, Charles was honoured before the game as she was inducted into the city’s Basketball Hall of Fame along with nine other former players and coaches. Her Dream teammates were on the court cheering her on as she was announced.
Charles is the only WNBA player with 7,000 points and 4,000 rebounds in her career. She’s second on the career scoring list behind only Diana Taurasi.
