Fowles re-signs with Lynx for final WNBA season

Free-agent center Sylvia Fowles has signed a deal to return to the Minnesota Lynx for what will be her 15th and final season in the WNBA, the team announced Tuesday.

Tuesday was the first official day that WNBA free agents could sign with teams.

Fowles, the 2017 league MVP, has won two titles with the Lynx, in 2015 and 2017. She was the WNBA Finals MVP both years. Fowles, who turned 36 in October, won his fourth Olympic gold medal with Team USA in August in Tokyo.

She is the WNBA’s all-time leader in rebounding (3,712), field goal percentage (59.7%) and double-doubles (180). She is 13th on the all-time scoring list with 5,983 points.

“Sylvia is a franchise leader on and off the court, and her heart is a huge part of this Minnesota family and fans,” Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor said. “We are elated that she will be spending her final year with the Lynx and look forward to celebrating Syl and her illustrious career throughout the season.”

Fowles won her fourth WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award last season, tying her with former Indiana star Tamika Catchings for the most times winning that honor. Fowles averaged 16.0 points and 10.1 rebounds last season, the sixth time he has averaged a double-double during a full season, a WNBA record. She also led the league in field goal percentage (64.0%) for the eighth time in her career.

Although she remains one of the best players in the league, Fowles contemplated retirement after the 2021 season but later opted to return.

“There are several reasons why I chose to play another year,” Fowles said. “The main reason for my return had a lot to do with our fans. I wanted to make sure he gave him the opportunity to see me play my last season. It feels good that my playing career is over in Minnesota; there’s no other place I’d rather be.” “.

Fowles helped guide LSU to four straight Final Four appearances in 2005-08 and was selected second by the Chicago Sky behind only Tennessee’s Candace Parker in the 2008 draft. Fowles spent her first seven seasons with the Sky, and was to the 2014 WNBA Finals.

However, she was ready for a change of scenery, missing the first part of the 2015 season waiting for a trade to Minnesota that she requested. She joined the Lynx in July 2015 and helped guide them to their third league championship. The Lynx fell in the 2016 WNBA Finals to the Los Angeles Sparks, but then beat the Sparks in the 2017 Finals for Minnesota’s fourth title.

Fowles is the last remaining player from the Lynx’s championship core, as Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson have all retired. Maya Moore hasn’t officially retired, but she hasn’t played in the WNBA since 2018.

“I can not [sobreestimar] our appreciation, not only for Sylvia Fowles the basketball player, but more importantly, Sylvia Fowles the person,” said Minnesota coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve. “Her loyalty and belief in our franchise is incalculable. I am excited that Syl is returning to the Lynx for her final season in the WNBA and I am counting down the days until she continues to make her mark as the greatest center in WNBA history.”