| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1968-11-22)November 22, 1968 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | April 14, 2018(2018-04-14) (aged 49) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 141 lb (64 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Saint Martin de Porres (Detroit, Michigan) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Tennessee (1988–1991) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Power forward /center | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Tarbes Gespe Bigorre | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Los Angeles Sparks | ||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Detroit (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Auburn (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Tennessee (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
As a player
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Stats atBasketball Reference  | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Daedra Janel Charles (November 22, 1968 – April 14, 2018) was an Americanwomen's basketball player and assistant coach atTennessee. She was a member of theUnited States women's national basketball team that claimed the bronze medal at the1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona, Spain. Born inDetroit,Michigan, Charles attended theUniversity of Tennessee. She twice helped Tennessee win theNCAA Women's Championship in1989 and1991. Charles was inducted into theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Charles was named to the national team invited to compete at the 1992 Olympics, held inBarcelona, Spain. The USA team won their first three games, but then played theUnified Team and fell, 79–73. The USA team then faced Cuba for the bronze medal. The game was tied at halftime, and Cuba had a small lead midway through the second half, but the USA went on a run to retake the lead, and finished with an 88–74 victory and the bronze medal. Charles averaged 6.2 points per game.[1]
Charles continued to represent the USA on the national team when it competed in the 1994 World Championships inSydney, Australia. The team was coached byTara VanDerveer. The team won their early games. Against Spain, Charles led the USA scorers with 18 points, helping secure the win. She also contributed 22 points to a win against the host team Australia. The team then advanced to the medal rounds and faced Brazil. Despite 29 points fromKatrina McClain, the USA fell 110–107 when Brazil hit ten of ten free throws in the final minute. The USA went on to defeat Australia 100–95 to claim the bronze medal.[2]
Charles was selected as the 8th overall pick in the 1997 WNBA Elite Draft by theLos Angeles Sparks. Her debut game was played on June 21, 1997 in a 57 - 67 loss to theNew York Liberty. Charles started the game but only played 7 minutes while recording 1 rebound and 1 block but no points.[3] She played only 28 games in her career, all of them during the 1997 season with the Sparks. Her debut game would also be the only time she started a game in her career. The Sparks finished the 1997 season 14 - 14 and missed the playoffs.
Charles would not play in the WNBA after this season. And because the Sparks missed the playoffs, Charles' final WNBA game was the last regular season game of that year. That game was played on August 24, 1997 where the Sparks were defeated 68 - 73 by thePhoenix Mercury. Charles played 12 minutes and only recorded 1 block as a statistic.[4]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
Source[6]
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Tennessee | 37 | 363 | 53.9% | 56.7% | 6.7 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 9.8 |
| 1990 | Tennessee | 33 | 525 | 55.1% | 56.1% | 8.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 15.9 |
| 1991 | Tennessee | 35 | 607 | 56.1% | 58.5% | 9.2 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 17.3 |
| Career | 105 | 1495 | 55.2% | 57.2% | 8.2 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 14.2 |
Source[7]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Los Angeles | 28° | 1 | 10.1 | .403 | .000 | .667 | 1.7 | .4 | .4 | .4 | .5 | 2.3 |
Charles died from undisclosed reasons on April 14, 2018, aged 49.[8]
