"Gonna be No. 1 soon" - Fans react to Tina Charles becoming second highest WNBA scorer of all time

Tina Charles made history on Wednesday when she moved into second place in the WNBA’s all-time scoring ladder. Charles scored 12 to hike her tally to 7,491 points, allowing her to move past Tina Thompson’s 7,488. Charles is over 3,000 points behind Diana Taurasi who pushed her total to 10,500.

Charles’ torrid pace pushed her to second place despite playing just 418 games compared to Thompson’s 496. Tamika Catchings (7,380) and DeWanna Bonner (7,327), who are in fourth and fifth spots, played 457 and 489 games, respectively.

Basketball fans reacted to Charles’ climb to second place in the WNBA all-time scoring totem pole:

“Gonna be No. 1 soon”

One fan pointed out:

“She was a bucket on the Liberty”

@Jahoops_ dragged LeBron James into the conversation:

“Right behind Lebrons 33,000”

Another fan predicted:

“Won’t last long with Caitlin Clark in the league”

Tina Charles’ chance of overtaking Diana Taurasi seems impossible because the Atlanta Dream star is 3,009 points behind. And, Taurasi is still playing for the Phoenix Mercury. The 42-year-old point guard isn’t the same scoring force she once was but continues to add to her total with every game she plays.

Charles would have been closer than she is now if she had not sat out two seasons. The 2012 MVP didn’t play in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and thought she was “done with basketball” in 2023.

How long Charles plays might determine her chances of becoming No. 1. Diana Taurasi might play for a few more years but Charles should steadily gain on the three-time WNBA champ’s total.

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Tina Charles still has plenty left in the tank

In 2023, Tina Charles said, in an interview with CBS Sports, that she thought she had retired already. According to her, “I was done playing with basketball.” She has proven this year that she still has plenty left in the tank.

Against the Phoenix Mercury, the 6-foot-4 Charles was dominant in the mid-post and the interior. She is hitting 30.8% from deep this season but finished 2-for-4 from that range versus Phoenix. Charles also hauled 17 rebounds and dished out three assists. The Dream needed everything she could give to pull out the road win.

Tina Charles looks reinvigorated after the brief retirement. Atlanta’s playoff aspirations do not entirely depend on her but she has been a key contributor. She has shown that she can still deliver when asked to step up.