NEW YORK, N.Y. – July 26, 2016 – Tina Charles of the New York Liberty and Nneka Ogwumike of the Los Angeles Sparks today were named the WNBA’s Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Samsung, respectively, for games played in July. Charles earned her third consecutive Player of the Month honor and her eighth overall, surpassing Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx for the most since the award’s inception in 2010.
Charles becomes just the fifth player in league history to win Player of the Month for three-consecutive months (Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Candace Parker, Lauren Jackson), and only the fourth to win three months in a row during the same season. Additionally, dating back to last season, the last five Eastern Conference Player of the Month Awards have gone to New York (Charles – July ’15; Epiphanny Prince – August ’15), making it the most consecutive honors awarded to one franchise in WNBA history.
Charles, the 2012 WNBA MVP and a four-time WNBA All-Star, led the Eastern Conference in rebounding (9.3 rpg) in July, trailing only Ogwumike among all players. She also finished second in the East in scoring (20.0 ppg) and ninth in free throw percentage (39-of-44, .886), while contributing 2.5 assists per game. Charles guided New York to a 7-3 mark during the month, the best record among East teams, as the Liberty improved to 18-8 overall to maintain the top spot in the conference.
The former University of Connecticut standout posted four double-doubles in July and four games of at least 25 points. Charles opened the month with 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 99-88 win at the Phoenix Mercury on July 1. She followed that effort two days later with 27 points and nine boards in a 77-67 loss at Los Angeles. Charles then helped New York head coach Bill Laimbeer notch his 200th regular-season victory when she recorded 29 points and nine rebounds in an 88-85 road win over the Chicago Sky on July 8.
Charles closed the month with three double-doubles in her final four outings, including 15 points and 14 rebounds in an 88-70 loss at Minnesota on July 15; and 14 points and 10 boards in her next game, an 83-76 home victory against the Connecticut Sun on July 17. She capped July with 25 points and 13 rebounds in an 82-70 home loss to the Indiana Fever on July 21.
Additional highlights of Charles’ play in July included:
- July 6 vs. Seattle Storm: 18 points, six rebounds and four steals in a 78-74 win
- July 13 vs. Atlanta Dream: 18 points and nine rebounds in an 86-62 victory
The Eastern and Western Conference Player of the Month awards, as well as the WNBA Rookie of the Month, are presented by Samsung and are part of the larger WNBA Performance Awards presented by Samsung program. This marks the third consecutive season that Samsung, an official WNBA marketing partner, will present the WNBA’s highest individual honors, including the WNBA Most Valuable Player, WNBA Most Improved Player, WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and WNBA Rookie of the Year.
For more information on this year’s WNBA Performance Awards presented by Samsung, visit www.wnba.com/awards.