Business as usual for every Team USA roster after a long Olympic break. And that includes perhaps the country’s most decorated Olympian on a woman’s basketball court Diana Taurasi. Anyhow, it is no news that her greatness is not limited to the international arena as the “White Mamba” is currently the WNBA all-time leading scorer. Having said that, the veteran would be mighty pleased by the fact that the second name now on this illustrious list is that of her former teammate Tina Charles. Does this accomplishment certify the current Atlanta No.31 as a GOAT? Well, Charles doesn’t think so.

History unfolded at the Gateway Center Wednesday evening. Apart from the Dream’s impressive 72-63 victory, another moment captivated the 3,260 in attendance. Seemingly, Atlanta’s iconic center Tina Charles overcame Hall of Famer Tina Thompson’s tally of 7,488 points to grab the second spot in the WNBA’s all-time scoring list. The moment transpired in the penultimate quarter when the 8x WNBA All-Star successfully connected a beyond-the-arc attempt to score her 12th and final point. Following this, she reflected on this moment with a very humble gesture towards one of her idols, Diana Taurasi.

Charles expressed, “Just to hear my name in the same sentence as Diana is just unimaginable. What she has meant to me personally and this league – her impact. She is definitely the GOAT and I’m just thankful.”

Charles entered the game 9 points shy of the record. A jumper from the wing tied her total to that of Thompson’s in the third quarter. As for Taurasi, the loss doesn’t change the fact that there is a 3,108 points cushion between her and Charles. Being the only WNBA entity to go past 8,000, she is currently sitting at 10,500 points.

Meanwhile, there were other takeaways as well from Charles’ historic outing.

Tina Charles leading the Dream to victory on a record-breaking night

Tina Charles scored an 11th and a second consecutive double-double to be one of the catalysts behind the Dream’s hard-fought win. The 33 minutes on the hardwood produced 17 rebounds as well, apart from her 12 points. In addition to this, she was 4 of 12 from the field while maintaining a 50% accuracy from the 3-point range.

The opening of the fourth quarter saw Charles’ magical moment taking place which also broke the 48-48 tie and commenced a 17-2 run. This became one of the major highlights of the game. This also provided the opportunity to reserve Maya Caldwel to register all her 6 points after that.

An eventful fixture for Tina Charles and the Atlanta Dream. With 2 more games still to go, the series between both these franchises stand at 1 a piece. Who will have the last laugh eventually? We’ll have to wait and see.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.