Former WNBA MVP and eight-time All-Star Tina Charles is mutually parting ways with the Phoenix Mercury after only 16 games played.
“After discussions with Tina and her agent, it was best for both parties to go our separate ways at this time,” Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said in statement announcing the contract divorce. “Due to circumstances both in and out of our control, our season has not gone according to our plan, and we will continue to pursue all avenues for improvement.”
Charles, 33, joined the Mercury in February as a free agent after leading the WNBA in scoring during the 2021 season with the Washington Mystics. Phoenix is 6-12 this season, and Charles averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 16 games played with the team.
The Mercury lost in the WNBA Finals last season and had high hopes for 2022 after adding Charles and Diamond DeShields to a roster that already had Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith. But with Griner detained in Russia after a February arrest, Phoenix has struggled.
Charles was the first overall selection in the 2010 WNBA Draft and spent the first four seasons of her career with the Connecticut Sun. She earned MVP honors in 2012 before she was traded to the New York Liberty in 2014. Charles has led the WNBA in rebounding in four seasons and scoring twice.
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