Looking Back At Tina Charles' Stint With The Mercury

Tina Charles has played for different teams throughout the years, and she had a brief stint with the Phoenix Mercury.

Apr 21, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury center Tina Charles shares a laugh with her teammates at Verizon 5G Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Cheryl Evans/The Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK / The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Phoenix Mercury have had their share of great players. Some of the league's top talent either started their career in Phoenix, or they were there at some point in their career.

Diana Taurasi started her career with the Mercury and ended her career with them. They drafted her with the first pick of the 2004 WNBA Draft. Cappie Pondexter spent the first years of her career in Phoenix, as they drafted her with the second pick of the 2006 draft.

There are numerous players that come to mind, and recently, a former Mercury player made history.

Tina Charles is the center for the Connecticut Sun. She is averaging 15.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. The 36-year-old veteran is still going strong, and she reached a special milestone in one of Connecticut's recent games. She became the second player in league history to reach 8,000 points.

In a matchup against the Seattle Storm, Charles was Connecticut's leading scorer. She finished the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Sun lost that game, but Charles made history.

Charles now has 8,040 points, and she is the second player to reach the 8,000 mark. Taurasi is the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, and she finished her career with 10,646 points.

Charles has had a stellar career, and she has played with different franchises throughout the years.

In 2022, the veteran center signed with the Mercury. She joined them in hopes of winning a championship. Her time with the Mercury was short-lived, as she played 16 games with them. Phoenix had a slow start that year, as they lost their first game, won their next two, then they lost their next seven.

Later in the season, Charles and the Mercury agreed to a buyout. She joined the Storm a few days later. During her time with Phoenix, she averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

The 2022 season was a challenge for the Mercury. They played without Brittney Griner, who missed the season due to an unfortunate situation overseas. Taurasi suffered quad strain in August, and ended up missing the Mercury's remaining regular season games and the postseason. The Mercury went 15-21 that year, and they lost to the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs.

Charles is playing well at this point in her career, and although her time in Phoenix was brief, she was one of the bright spots in a tough year.

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