Imagine fulfilling a dream you envisioned yourself doing since you were a kid. Kaila Charles shows that a girl with a big dream becomes a woman with a vision. Before becoming one of the greatest players in the University of Maryland Women’s Basketball program, Kaila Charles was introduced to the world of basketball in the 5th grade when she was 11 years old. During that time, Charles wanted to follow in her older siblings’ footsteps and do what they wanted to do: basketball. “I was not that good when I first started,” Kaila admitted. “I went all year not scoring a shot until the last game of the season; specifically at the last minute in the last quarter of the game where I hit my first shot of the year.” Charles described the feeling of excitement and acceleration after seeing her shot go through the net as it would spark that passion inside for the game. “From that moment on, I wanted to be the best player I can be and play at the highest level possible,” Kaila stated. In her high school careers at Eleanor Roosevelt High School and Riverdale Baptist, Kaila succeeded and created a legacy that could never be duplicated. During her three years at Eleanor, Charles led the school to a 72-5 record, secured two state championships in 2014 and 2015, reached the 1,000-points club in her junior year, earned First-Team All-Met by the Washington Post, and was named team MVP in all three years, Next Sports Phenom Player of the Year, and The Gazette Player of the Year. After three years at Eleanor Roosevelt, Kaila transferred to Riverdale Baptist. Right away, Kaila made a huge impact on the team as she averaged over 22 points per game, 9 rebounds per game, 13 double-doubles, made the 2,000-point club, and helped lead the team to the Dick’s High School National Championship at Madison Square Garden. Charles’s successful senior year campaign led her to be named 2016’s McDonald’s All-American, WBCA All-American, USA Today All-America Second-Team, selected to the Jordan Brand Classic, and named Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year. After high school, Charles committed to play ball at one of the most decorated colleges in women’s basketball history: the University of Maryland.

Kaila’s collegiate career at the University of Maryland was memorable as she made an immediate impact in her first year. In her first year at Maryland, Charles started every game for the Terrapins and helped Maryland secure the Big 10 Conference Tournament Title. While averaging 9.7 ppg (points per game), 5.6 rebounds per game, and multiple double-doubles under her belt, Kaila still made a lasting impression as she was selected to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Kaila’s impressive freshman year statistics totaled 339 points, 195 rebounds, 43 assists, 44 steals, and 18 blocks in 799 minutes. Kaila’s game improved tremendously as her sophomore year would be one of the many history books for the Maryland Women’s Basketball program. By averaging 17.9 points per game, Charles made history as that statistic feature was the most ever in history for a Maryland sophomore as well as being the third sophomore to score 600 points in a season (behind Crystal Langhorne and Alyssa Thomas). Along with leading the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocks; Kaila scored in double figures 30 times out of all the 34 games she played and was third on the team in steals. With the improvement of her game, Kaila’s sophomore season was a success as she was named on the Preseason All-Big Ten First-Team, WBCA All-Region honoree, Miami Thanksgiving All-Tournament Team, Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List, Cheryl Miller Award Final 10, Cheryl Miller Award Watchlist, USBWA National Player of the Week, All-Big Ten Tournament Team, Big Ten Player of the Week, Wade Watch List, Citizen Naismith Watch List, and WBCA All-Region Team. Kaila’s improvement would lead her season to tally 610 points, 275 rebounds, 72 assists, 53 steals, and 36 blocks in 1035 minutes. Junior year for Charles would continue to rise as she became the 33rd Maryland Terrapins player to make it into the 1,000-points club. In a game against South Carolina, Kaila hit the 500 rebounds mark, which would be her 73rd game in her collegiate career. Throughout the season, Kaila averaged 17 ppg (points per game), collected multiple double-doubles, and even scored the game-winning basket in 0.9 seconds against Minnesota; which would lead her to secure the Big Ten Player of the Week honors. In the last five games of the postseason during the NCAA Tournament during her junior year, Charles averaged 23.2 points and 8.9 boards. By the end of junior season, Kaila earned USBWA Third Team All-America, WBCA Honorable Mention All-America Honors, AP Honorable Mention All-America, All-Big Ten Tournament Team, Big Ten Player of the Week, was unanimously selected in the All-Big Ten First-Team,  named a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award, and listed in both the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 & the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20. Kaila’s statistics stacked up to 579 points, 228 rebounds, 77 assists, 43 steals, and 23 blocks in 1,009 minutes. Before the senior season began, Kaila was already named Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and Preseason AP All-American. Charles’s presence has transcended throughout her college career since the first day she stepped onto the court and she wanted to make sure senior year was one for the ages. Charles scored five double-doubles in the season including a smashing 28 points, and 18 rebounds in a huge victory over Ohio State during the regular season, 21 points and 11 rebounds against #18 ranked Indiana, and a dominating performance against Iowa with 23 points and 18 rebounds. The dominating mindset Kaila presented throughout the season would lead her to be named Big Ten Player of the Week multiple times as well as being recognized as both ESPNW National Player of the Week and USBWA Player of the Week. Throughout her senior season, Charles led the Terrapins in scoring and rebounding, which included scoring in double figures 23 times out of the 32 games of the season, became one of the six players in the Maryland Women’s Basketball program history in the Top 10 in both points (1,984) and rebounds (930),  tied with Maryland Women’s Basketball alum, Alyssa Thomas’s school record with the most games started with 135, and helped Maryland secure another Big Ten Conference Tournament Title. Charles’s senior season would be one in the books for Maryland Women’s Basketball as she earned the AP All-American Third Team, WBCA All-American, USBWA All-American Third Team, All-Big Ten First Team, Maryland Female Student-Athlete of the Year, and Citizen Naismith Semifinalist and tallied 456 points, 232 rebounds, 71 assists, 51 steals, and 20 blocks in 911 minutes. Throughout 135 games for the Maryland Terrapins, Kaila totaled 1,984 points, 930 rebounds, 263 assists, 191 steals, and 97 blocks in 3,574 minutes. 

Balancing academics and athletics isn’t the easiest thing to do. For student-athletes, it’s something that they have prepared themselves to do since grade school. For Kaila, the assignments in the classroom come before the hoops on the court. Charles describes that a lot of focus, self-control, discipline, and time management are some of the factors that play a part in both sports and academics. “You have to be able to organize your time so that you are getting your school work done, finding time to work on your craft, as well as finding time to relax and enjoy yourself as well.” Kaila saw the rewards of her hard work both on and off the court as she was named Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll numerous times, selected on the All-Big Ten Academic team for three straight years, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communications. Charles also emphasizes that having an end goal in mind is critical in balancing classwork and athletic events. “When you begin with the end goal in mind, you can prioritize the tasks you need to do,” Charles states. The endless hours of extra work and the determination of making it in the WNBA and succeeding in college were the rewards of the dream that was most definitely worth it for Kaila. With a bachelor’s degree in Communications, Charles sees the parallel between her major of study and basketball as those two go hand-and-hand together. “Communication is a vital part of any relationship,” Kaila states. “When working on or with a team trying to achieve a common goal, you must know how to properly communicate so that everyone is on the same page and you can maximize success.” Charles describes how her major helped her learn how to communicate with all different types of people and personalities of all backgrounds as well as leadership. “Communication taught me a lot of leadership skills that have helped me on and off the court.” 

Always be yourself! Kaila can testify that she has overcome the adversities of many people that doubted her and her dream; but, she always made sure to be positive and reach her goals. “When I was a freshman in high school I had a "friend" tell me I wasn't "that good" to be a McDonald's All-American,” Kaila explains. “Instead of internalizing it, I used it as motivation. By my senior year, not only was I a McDonald's All-American; I was also a Jordan Brand Classic All-American, a WBCA All-American, an AP All-American, and graduated #3 overall in my position.” Not only did Kaila overcome the obstacles in high school and college, but she also exceeded her expectations and became one of the top 6 scorers in Maryland’s Women’s Basketball history and living out her dream in the professional world. Charles advises future athletes to believe in themselves and be confident. “If anything, you have to be your biggest fan before anyone else,” Kaila states. “If you continue to believe in yourself, work hard, and trust God, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.”

Kaila knows firsthand that women’s basketball continues to increase every season. As a professional athlete herself in the WNBA and overseas, Charles sees the popularity of women’s basketball growing slowly but surely as social media has played a part in spreading awareness about women’s sports and the coverage that it deserves. “I think social media has also had a lot to do with boosting the confidence of young girls all over in their sports,” Charles exclaims. Kaila expresses her excitement in seeing how big the game will grow in the next couple of years; especially with the next generation of women’s basketball players who can hoop. “I can only imagine the game getting more explosive, more exciting, and we will see more dunking! Kaila just completed her third year in the WNBA as she continues to practice and prepare for her fourth year in the league. Charles wants to play another ten years as she believes she has many more things and levels to accomplish. One thing is for sure, Kaila will always be a part of basketball. Charles states that she plans to continue to stay around basketball as both a coach and a sports broadcaster once she’s done playing. “I have thought about coaching. However, I believe the broadcasting side of the game is the best fit for me,” Charles states.

Family means everything to Kaila. In life and basketball, Charles cites both her mother, Ruperta Charles and father, Walter Charles as the most significant role models. Charle’s parents came to the United States from the Caribbeans Islands (the father from Trinidad and Tobago and the mother from Antigua and Barbuda) to start a new life not only for themselves; but also for Kaila and her siblings. “My parents are the epitome of hard work and dedication,” Kaila states. “I am forever grateful that I was blessed to have parents like them that were willing to make a huge sacrifice to give me the life I always wanted and put me in the best possible situation to achieve my goals and dreams.” Another important figure that has inspired Charles on the court is the late, great legend and women’s sports supporter, Kobe Bryant. Kaila credits Kobe Bryant for his winning mindset, commitment to the game, and passion that he possessed in his game. “His (Kobe) unwavering mindset and commitment to being the best version of himself every day is something that inspires me every day,” Charles admits. Bryant has played a huge part in advocating for women’s sports, particularly the WNBA and women’s basketball. Even after his passing, Bryant’s influence in advocating women’s sports continues to influence the sports world as more people have finally recognized the talent and hard work that female athletes put in every day both on and off the court. Kaila praises Kobe for showing respect for women’s basketball as he knew how much time, dedication, and work it took to get to the next level. “He (Kobe Bryant) was a legend on and off the court,” Kaila exclaims.

Kaila is the definition of what it means to be ambitious and an inspiration. Charles explains why her story stands out from the rest. “I am a daughter of two Caribbean immigrants, a first-generation Caribbean-American, and I love the fact that I am both Trinidadian and Antiguan. My heritage means everything to me and has shaped me into the woman I am today,” Kaila described. “Seeing where my parents are from and how far they've come motivates me every day. I have seen firsthand the benefits of working hard and betting on yourself. From a young age, they instilled confidence and discipline in me. I have been writing constant goals and affirmations for as long as I can remember, which subconsciously taught me never to settle and to always evolve into a better version of myself.” As the youngest member of the family, Kaila admits that family competitiveness is real in the household as it has helped her learn what it means to compete and the drive to win.

On September 8th, 2022, Beautiful Ballers welcomed Kaila Charles as the newest official athlete on the Beautiful Ballers team. When asked about joining the team, Kaila explains that she loves what the brand stands for and was excited to be a part of the family. “I love how they exemplify women for being their authentic selves while dominating in their sports,” Kaila states. To Charles, she sees being a Beautiful Baller as someone who is unapologetically themselves, succeeding in your craft, and that they all come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. “To me, how you look should not define your skills as an athlete,” Kaila explains. “Over the years of my career, I have had people tell me that they didn't expect me to be so good in my sport because I looked "too pretty." I would always be confused when I heard comments like that because I didn't understand what they meant by that. Just because I like to do my hair, wear makeup, and pamper myself does not mean I did not put in the same work on the court just like any other athlete.” Just like any male athlete, Kaila put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into her craft into becoming the great player that she is as she also clarifies that being “pretty” should not take away from all the hard work she puts in. When asked what being a Beautiful Baller means, Charles precisely answers in confidence: “See when I think of Beautiful Ballers, I don't think of looks. Instead, I think of strong female athletes that are their true authentic selves and embrace who they are while dominating their craft. A Beautiful Baller comes in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. If you are unapologetically yourself and assuming the person God created you to be, then girl you are a Beautiful Baller. Keep going, queen!” 

To learn more about Kaila and her story, be sure to follow her on Instagram: kailacharles5