Tina Charles looked happy and at home on the court at Barclays Center on Thursday night.
The WNBA veteran, a native of Jamaica, New York, played six seasons with the Liberty and greeted the old fans in the stands.
She also greeted more than 40 friends, family, former AAU teammates and former high school coaches.
It was a perfect homecoming for Charles, who also helped the Dream clinch the eighth and final playoff spot with a 78-67 win over No. 1 Liberty.
The two teams will meet again in the first round on Sunday in Brooklyn at 1 p.m. to begin a best-of-three series.
“It's like a perfect storm. God couldn't have done it any other way,” Charles said before scoring 10 points and having 10 rebounds in the Dream's win Thursday. “I'm just grateful to be in my hometown. My parents are here, my close friends are here, my family is here. I'm just going to go out there. It's going to be a great show. The magic of New York, the fan base they've garnered coming from this city, from MSG, from Brooklyn. It's great for me to see it all come full circle and come back. I'm grateful to be a part of it.”
The 35-year-old Charles, who was honored by the New York Basketball Hall of Fame as a 2024 inductee before the start of the game, broke the WNBA's all-time rebounding record on Thursday with her third rebound of the game.
All of this happened during a season that Charles never expected her to be a part of.
She had considered sitting out the 2023 season and even retiring, but her love of the game brought her back for one more season.
“I've been preparing for this for probably a few months now. I just thank God,” Charles said of his induction. “I can't believe this moment has come to me at this age, at this year in my career. … It's just a blessing to be able to represent New York.”
An eight-time All-Star and 2012 MVP, he played for the Liberty from 2014-2019.
She played at Madison Square Garden and during the time of Liberty mascot Maddie, and Charles said he remains more loyal to Maddie than the loveable Ellie introduced at Barclays.
During his time with Liberty, Charles averaged a near double-double, 18.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Already operating in playoff mode, Charles will be looking to win against his former team again to keep the Dream's season alive.
“She's playing great. She's an elite player who's been in this league a long time and she knows how to put the ball on the court,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “Tina, she's a bucket. She's a walking bucket. So we've got to make it a little difficult for her.”
