Tina Charles, Liberty 'Fan From Far,' Returns to Brooklyn
Barclays Center will never go down as "The House That Tina Built." But the former New York Liberty star at least helped put up a few walls.
Tina Charles' vision conjured toward the end of her accomplished Liberty career continued to linger in reality on Sunday afternoon when she returned as a member of the Atlanta Dream. An announced attendance of 10,823 watched Charles put up a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double as her former employers earned a comeback victory in 81-75 fashion.
Charles had her share of basketball travels: with her Atlanta debuts in 2024, she has now played for half of the WNBA's dozen teams and she also boasts significant international and Team USA experience. As a Queens native, Christ the King alumna, and Liberty legend, however, she'll always hold a special place for the New York City metropolitan area in her heart.
"It's great to be home. This is where everything started for me, born and raised, played in every corner of New York," Charles said prior to Sunday's game. "It's great, just more so for the people who helped me reach this level that I'm at in my career, family, friends, coaches, teammates. I'm really blessed, really fortunate."
Charles played six seasons (2014-19) with the Liberty and stands as the franchise's all-time leading scorer. One of the Liberty's first moves of the new decade was to trade Charles to the Washington Mystics, unofficially tipping off the start of a new era headlined by Sabrina Ionescu and an assembly of All-Stars.
The final years of the Charles era were marked by franchise instability, as a Liberty team put up for sale played its final games under Madison Square Garden Company ownership at Westchester County Center, the home of the New York Knicks' G League team located an hour-plus drive away from Penn Plaza. When the Liberty got a Brooklyn showcase during the 2019 season upon sale of the team to Brooklyn Nets bosses Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, Charles made it clear that she sought a permanent residency.
"“It’s not a shot at Westchester, but this organization is deserving of playing in an arena in the likes of Madison Square Garden or Barclays,” Charles said at the time. “It’s more than just my personal opinion, It’s what needs to happen.”
Charles had played games at Barclays in enemy colors before but Sunday was the first time she saw it at full strength, as prior visits were partly hampered by pandemic-induced attendance restrictions. Egged on by a comeback effort and WNBA history from Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, New York rolled to its fourth straight regular season victory to maintain its lead atop the WNBA leaderboard.
Though she has moved on, Charles is pleased to see New York in its current state of grace, praising front office staples CEO Keia Clarke and general manager Jonathan Kolb for their work among the Tsais in turning the franchise in a Brooklyn mainstay. Charles revealed that her family remains involved in the Liberty's affairs, as her mother Angella, a seafoam season ticket holder since the franchise's inception in 1997, was in attendance for the team's showing in the Commissioner's Cup Final at UBS Arena on Tuesday.
"They're all investing and wanting to put women empowerment first," Charles said of the current Liberty power circle, further praising New York for its status as a "melting pot." "Having Stewie here is amazing. I think every league is always great when the New York teams are doing well. It's always way more exciting. For the Liberty, having Jonquel Jones, Sabrina coming into her own, adding a vet like (Courtney Vandersloot), I'm very excited for them and what they'll do this season. I'm always a fan far away."
Charles and the Dream (7-10) return to Brooklyn on Sept. 19 for a game that will serve as the regular season finale for both sides. In the meantime, Atlanta hosts the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night (7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network).
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks