During the 2006 WNBA season, forward Tangela Smith was one of the Charlotte Sting’s leaders and most valuable players, contributing 13.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals. She scored her 3,000th point in the second game of the season, becoming just the 10th WNBA player in history to reach that milestone. Her numbers were ranked among the Sting’s leaders, but they also were impressive enough to place her among the WNBA leaders in several statistical categories. In addition to leading Charlotte to 11 victories, almost double the win total from the 2005 season, she received an impressive individual accolade: an All-Star appearance for the Eastern Conference, her first in nine seasons in the WNBA.

Along with guard Allison Feaster, Smith was the most veteran player on the roster. The coaching staff was counting on the 6-4, 160-pounder to continue her success from the 2005 season, where she led the Sting with 13.6 points and added 5.2 rebounds in her first season in Charlotte. And she didn’t disappoint.

Smith led Charlotte in scoring 11 times, including five straight games from July 6-15, and rebounding 10 times, but she also introduced a new component to her game: an outside shot. In combination with her proven post skills, a jump shot made her an almost unstoppable force on the court. She shot .365 percent from the three-point line on 31-85 shooting, a drastic increase from last season, where she shot 0-7 from beyond the arc. Not only did she make it difficult for opponents to guard her, she also freed up space for fellow post players Tammy Sutton-Brown and Tye’sha Fluker to play their game.

“Tangela’s inside-outside game helped the team quite a bit,” Sting Head Coach Muggsy Bogues said. “She’s a true veteran player who is not going to limit her game to the post. It helps when she allowed our post players to have room to operate. She opened up her game and forced the defenders to play her honestly.”

Adding a different element to her game was one of the reasons that she was honored as an All-Star in 2006. In the mid-season exhibition, Smith teamed up with the best players from around the league and helped the Eastern Conference secure its first victory in the seven-year history of the game. She scored two points and grabbed four rebounds in 13 minutes, and was excited to participate in the festivities and be recognized for her basketball abilities.

“I was really honored to be a part of the team,” Smith said. “I was so excited to be a part of the All-Star game. It was a great atmosphere, and it was good to play against all of the great players.”

“It’s a good honor on her behalf,” Bogues said. “She is one of the best players in the league. Tangela is a good person and a great competitor.”

But despite her individual success, Smith is not satisfied. She wants to turn the Sting into a winning franchise, and she has the experience and determination to do it. Acquired from a trade with Sacramento on March 3, 2005, Smith understands what it means to be part of a winning team, and she is working on teaching her teammates as well as improving her own game.

On thing is for sure, Smith will be back in Charlotte next season, ready and determined to lead the Sting to victory.