Atlanta Dream center Tina Charles moved up to second place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old came into the team’s game against the Phoenix Mercury needing 10 points to move past Tina Thompson’s 7,488 career points. The Dream defeated the Mercury 72-63 and Charles finished the game with 12 points. She now stands at 7,491 career points.
In the fourth quarter and stuck at nine points, Charles knocked down a three-pointer and got loud applause from the sellout crowd at the Gateway Center Arena @ College Park. At the next stoppage of play, Charles’ teammates surrounded her to celebrate the accomplishment while fans continued to cheer on.
Charles now only trails Mercury star Diana Taurasi on the league’s all-time scoring list. Taurasi, who was on the court at the time, went up to Charles with a smile and embraced her.
Last season, 42-year-old Taurasi became the first player to score 10,000 points in league history.
After the game, Charles said it was “great” to celebrate the milestone with her teammates and expressed gratitude for achieving it while sharing the court with “GOAT” Taurasi.
“Just to hear my name in the same sentence as Diana (Taurasi) is just unimaginable,” Charles said. “Just what she meant to me personally, this league, her impact - she’s definitely the GOAT. I’m just thankful. I’m just thankful. A lot of gratitude.”
Charles was a two-time NCAA champion with the University of Connecticut and was selected with the first overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun. She won the 2010 Rookie of the Year award and was later named the 2012 Most Valuable Player.
Charles is also a three-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA.
The eight-time All-Star has spent time with the Mercury, New York Liberty, Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm. She sat out the 2023 WNBA season before signing with Atlanta earlier this year.