Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

WNBA Legend Tina Charles Joins AU Basketball in 2026

Originally posted on Beyond Women's Sports
By LaDarius Brown | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 5:54 PM ET

Without question, Tina Charles is one of the best players in the three-decade history of the WNBA. She has quite the extensive resume and the veteran center can add more item to her legendary resume. Here, Charles will join Athletes Unlimited Basketball in 2026. The nine-time All-WNBA player brings plenty of experience to AU Basketball. Besides being All-WNBA, Charles was the 2012 WNBA and the unanimous Rookie of the Year in 2010.

What’s more, she is three-time Olympic Gold medalist and the all-time leader in rebounds in WNBA history. Collegiately, she was a two-time National Champion with the UConn Huskies and the AP Player of the Year, John R. Wooden Award, and Naismith College Player of the Year in 2010. The most recent WNBA was No. 14 and her fifth with the Connecticut Sun. She returned back to Connecticut in the 2025 season after spending the first four with them.

"Athletes Unlimited was the right fit for me right now."

Future HOF'er Tina Charles is ready to continue making strides in her career this season with Athletes Unlimited.

https://t.co/Gydrmoho6X pic.twitter.com/0peEQlMXSV
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) September 16, 2025

Charles also played five seasons with the New York Liberty as she spent a season each with the Atlanta Dream, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, and Phoenix Mercury.

Who Will Join Charles In AU Basketball in 2026?

All things considered, Charles will be surrounded by players who are more than familiar with AU Hoops. Some of those names include Lexie Brown, Sydney Colson, NaLyssa Smith, Alysha Clark, Isabelle Harrison, Theresa Plaisance, and Odyssey Sims. Currently, Brown is the Chairperson of Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball’s Player Executive Committee. Additionally, she has finished in the top ten on the leaderboard in two of the last three season in AU.

Harrison, like Brown, played in the inaugural season back in 2022 along with Colson and Sims. It’s important to note that Colson and Harrison are on the Player’s Executive Committee with Brown. Smith was the Champion back in 2023 as Plaisance placed in the top 15 that year. Last season, Sims was second behind Maddy Siegrist and marked Clark’s debut in AU.

The 2026 season will once again be in Nashville, Tennessee following a successful and record-breaking 2025 campaign. Season Five of AU Basketball gets underway in February 2026 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium over the course of four weeks.

This article first appeared on Beyond Women's Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: