Sylvia Fowles
(Born 1985)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2025
Card Shown:
2008 Rittenhouse WNBA
Position: C
Height: 6’6″
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Sylvia Fowles is considered by many to be the most dominant center to ever play in the WNBA. After a strong college career at LSU, Sylvia enjoyed a fifteen-year career in the league with the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx, winning two WNBA championships. Fowles also won at the international level, winning five Olympic gold medals. She was voted onto the W25 team which recognized the top 25 players in the first 25 years of the WNBA. Both LSU and the Lynx retired her number 34.
Awards and Honors
- Sylvia teamed with Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, and Seimone Augustus, all Hall of Famers, to win WNBA championships for the Minnesota Lynx in 2015 and 2017. She was named the Finals MVP both years.
- Fowles was also selected the WNBA Most Valuable Player in 2017.
- Sylvia was an eight-time WNBA All-Star and made twenty WNBA All-League teams including Defensive First Team eight times.
- Fowles was the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year four times in 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2021. Only Tamika Catchings, with five, has won this award more times.
- Sylvia is a four-time Olympic gold medalist. She was an integral part of Team USA squads that won the top prize in 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro), and 2020 (Tokyo).
Points of Interest
- Sylvia player college basketball at LSU, leading the Lady Tigers to the NCAA Final Four during each of her four years at the school.
- Fowler was selected by the Sky with the second pick in the 2008 WNBA draft, behind Candace Parker. She played the first seven years of her WNBA career for the Sky and the last eight years for the Lynx.
- At the time she was notified that she would be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, Sylvia was first in career field goal percentage (59.9%), second in career rebounds (4006), fourth in career blocks (721), and second in career double doubles (193). Tina Charles had recently surpassed her, to take the top spot, in both career blocks and career double doubles.
- In 2022, Sylvia was awarded the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship award by the WNBA. In her honor, the Lynx created the Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award to recognize the Minnesota player who demonstrates selflessness, kindness, and impacts the well-being of the community.
- Fowles finished her WNBA career with averages of 15.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. She also made 100% of the three-point shots she took during her career. (In case you are wondering, she only took one three-pointer in her career. It was during her third season and she made it.)
Statistics
Sylvia Fowles Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com