9. Tina Charles
Leave aside the early exits in the WNBA playoffs and consider the following: exactly how has Tina Charles managed to lead the Liberty to home playoff games each of the past two years? Her game keeps improving—witness her extending range beyond the three-point line, simultaneously improving her efficiency and New York’s spacing—but look at her surrounding team. To be clear, New York has more talent. But stars? It really begins and ends with Charles. Last season’s top four teams? Lynx, Sparks, Sun, Liberty. The other three teams all had multiple all-stars, multiple members of the league’s elite. The year before? Lynx, Sparks, Liberty, Sky. That was Elena Delle Donne’s Sky, by the way, Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley, too. Tina Charles’ second bananas are Epiphanny Prince and Sugar Rodgers, who are both excellent players, but not in the league’s elite. Charles elevates her teams. It’s hard to imagine anyone arguing otherwise.