MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The WNBA announced today that Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles has been named to the All-Defensive First Team.
Fowles has received All-Defensive Team honors 11 times in her career (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022), including eight First Team selections (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022) and three Second Team selections (2008, 2014, 2018).
This marks Fowles’ fifth All-Defensive Team award with Minnesota and the 14th All-Defensive Team selection in franchise history (third consecutive).
Fowles, 36, finished her 15th and final WNBA season leading the league with a 62.2% field goal percentage and averaged 14.4 points per game (19th in league) in 30 contests. She led the league in rebounds (9.8), became the only player in WNBA history tally 4,000 career rebounds and was named the 2022 Peak Performer Award recipient in rebounding. Additionally, Fowles finished with 721 career blocks, third most in WNBA history and one of four players to have at least 700 career blocks (Margo Dydek 877, Lisa Leslie 822, Sylvia Fowles 721, Brittney Griner 716).
This season Fowles registered 13 double-doubles, hiking her career total to 193, including 101 with Minnesota. Fowles had five 20+ point/10+ rebound games this season (77 career). Fowles tallied 13.0 points, on 58% shooting, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks over the last 10 games of the season, in which Minnesota went 5-5. In her final regular season game at Target Center on August 12 vs. Seattle, she became the all-time leading rebounder in Lynx history with 2,174, passing Rebekkah Brunson. She also leads the Lynx in defensive rebounds (1,552), blocks (345) and field goal percentage (61.0). Fowles rounds out her career leading the WNBA in total rebounds (4,006), defensive rebounds (1,132), rebounds per game (9.8) and field goal percentage (59.9).
Fowles is an eight-time WNBA All-Star (2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022), a four-time Olympic Gold Medalist (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) and a four-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2011, 2013, 2016, 2021).
In her 15th and final season in the WNBA, Fowles earned the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award which is presented each season to a player who exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court, including ethical behavior, fair play and integrity and was awarded the July WNBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by State Farm.