Tuesday was a great day for Sylvia Fowles. Leading the Lynx in scoring with a season-high 25 points, she helped them beat one of the hottest teams in the league in the Chicago Sky and clinch a playoff spot. Fowles also passed Lisa Leslie for total career rebounds and now sits in third all time. Quite a night.

This season hasn’t always been easy for Sylvia Fowles. Faced with the challenge of leading a team with only three returning players, Fowles had to shoulder more of a load than she had in years past. That in addition to some difficult times off the court caused her play to suffer. She had a hard time scoring and things simply weren’t flowing as well as they had. Fowles still has the strength and speed that makes her one of the league’s elite players, but something wasn’t working.

To get herself back on track, Fowles looked inward. Fowles is naturally unselfish, a quality that makes her one of the most well-liked players in the league, but to shake herself out of her slump, Fowles had to resist that instinct.

“Just looking out for myself. I know that might sound a little selfish, but I realized that me just making sure my teammates do what they do and taking myself out of the equation wasn’t good for the team,” Fowles said. “I just wanted to come back and make my way with them the way I’m capable of playing and not worry about everybody else. Just making sure we’re clicking, and I’m doing my part.”

This is one of many reasons why it is so impossible not to like Fowles—she cares deeply about how her teammates are feeling and performing on the court and she is willing to sacrifice herself to make things happen for them. However, it is very important that she recognized that she was giving up too much of herself and things needed to change.

That change started on Aug. 13 when the Lynx played in New York. Fowles had been struggling and head coach Cheryl Reeve realized that she had to alter her approach to coaching Fowles.

“It’s a great life, being a professional athlete, but there’s a lot that goes with it. It’s not easy. I think you go through times, and you have to navigate those difficult times,” said Reeve.
“Sometimes things get a little more difficult and I think it was at New York when we made the recognition that Syl was just struggling. She needed allies as opposed to challenging her. We knew we’d get to the other side of it and this homestand has been really good for her.”

Fowles has been critical to the Lynx’s success in the last three games—two blowout victories and Tuesday night’s hard-fought win over the Sky. Fowles’ teammates are glad she is back on track and doing what she does best—they never doubted she would find herself again.

“I think she’s locked in and learned from those experiences what wasn’t working for her. She’s in the gym early every day getting shots up, so you definitely see her dedication and that’s the reason that she is Sylvia Fowles. She is amazing,” said Napheesa Collier.

It’s easier to be happy when you’re winning, but sometimes the happiness has to come first. Fowles is a testament to the importance of taking care of yourself and making a change when things don’t feel right. Fowles had the presence of mind to figure out that what she needed to do in order to help the Lynx was to help herself.

“It feels great,” Fowles said. “I’ve been very proud of the team and the way we’ve been performing here are home. We know what it takes for us to get going and we’re clicking on all cylinders.”

The Lynx play their final home game of the season on Sunday against the Fever. You can get tickets here!