Kaila Charles

Kaila Charles ( ; born March 23, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Valkyries of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Reyer Venezia of the Lega Basket Femminile. She played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins. She was drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. She also previously played for the Atlanta Dream, Seattle Storm, and Dallas Wings in the WNBA.

Early life

High school Charles hails from Glenn Dale, Maryland. For her first three years of high school, she attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School in nearby Greenbelt, where her teams had a combined 72 and 5 record. While at Eleanor Roosevelt, Charles' teams won two Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Class AAAA state championships (2014 and 2015). Charles also earned Washington Post All-Metro honors as a sophomore and junior. She transferred her senior year to Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, and helped the team to a national championship game. She was a McDonalds and Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-American selection as a senior, and also received All-Metro Player of The Year honors from the Post.

Recruiting Charles was ranked as the 25th best player in her national class by ESPN and the Collegiate Girls Report, though the All Star Girls Report had her ranked as high as 21st. She was a highly-sought player as a five-star recruit, and received over 30 scholarship offers, eventually signing with Brenda Frese and the nearby Maryland Terrapins over Tennessee and South Carolina.

College career

Freshman season (2016–17) Charles earned a double-double in her first game and saw a large amount of playing time. She was eventually named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Charles was Big Ten, United States Basketball Writers Association, and ESPNW player of the week for December 30, and would receive Big Ten Player of the Week Honors once again in February. Charles finished her Maryland career by winning the 2020 Big Ten women's basketball tournament, the first time the team had done so since her freshman year, after losing to Ohio State and Iowa in the championship game the two previous years. She appeared in 21 games for the Sun in her rookie year, starting seven. She averaged 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds over 17.9 minutes per game. Despite being the seventh seed (of eight) in the 2020 WNBA Playoffs, the Sun made it to the semifinals before losing to the Las Vegas Aces in five games.

Charles was waived by the Sun on May 5, 2022. On May 6, Charles joined the New York Liberty on a hardship contract. Two days later, she was released from the hardship and did not appear in any games.

Atlanta Dream (2022) On August 12, 2022, Charles signed with the Atlanta Dream on a hardship contract. She played only two minutes in one game.

Seattle Storm (2023) On February 6, 2023, Charles signed a training camp contract with the Seattle Storm. She made the opening day roster. She appeared in four games but was waived by the Storm on June 8.

Dallas Wings (2025) On February 2, 2025, Charles signed a training camp contract with the Dallas Wings. She made the opening day roster. On June 14, she was waived by the Wings. However, the Wings signed her to a hardship contract on June 17. On June 30, she was released by the Wings. Overall Charles appeared in 17 games for Dallas, averaging 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds.

Golden State Valkyries (2025–present) On August 1, 2025, Charles signed a seven-day hardship contract with the Golden State Valkyries. On August 22, she signed a rest of season contract with the Valkyries.

In April 2026, Charles signed a two-year contract with the Valkyries.

Overseas DVTK HUN-Therm On July 4, 2023, Charles signed with Hungarian team DVTK HUN-Therm in the EuroLeague to play in 2023 after the completion of the WNBA season.

Venezia Charles signed with Reyer Venezia (women) of the Lega Basket Femminile for the 2025–26 season.

Career statistics WNBA

Regular season Stats current through end of 2025 season

Postseason

College Source

EuroLeague

Personal life Charles' mother, Ruperta Charles, competed in the 100 meter dash at the 1984 Summer Olympics on behalf of Antigua and Barbuda after attending Howard University. She has three older siblings. Her sister, Afia, was a track athlete at the University of Central Florida and represented Antigua and Barbuda in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Her brother Akil plays basketball at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada.