Sylvia Fowles

Sport: Basketball

Induction Year: 2026

University: LSU

The winner of four Olympic gold medals with Team USA (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020), an all-time WNBA great and a 2025 inductee into the Women’s Basketball and Naismith Memorial Basketball halls of fame, Sylvia Fowles made her name helping LSU to four consecutive Final Fours (2005-08).

A 6-foot-6, 217-pound center, the Miami native and McDonald’s All-American was a dominant force for LSU when the Tigers compiled a 129-22 record in her time in Baton Rouge. She averaged a double-double for her four-year career (15.5 ppg, 10.9 rpg), shooting 58.4% from the field and increasing her scoring average in each of her final three seasons after netting 11.8 points and 9.0 rebounds as a freshman. She averaged 15.9 ppg and 11.6 rpg (sophomore), 16.9 ppg and 12.6 rpg (junior) and 17.4 ppg and 10.3 rpg (senior). She was a menace on defense and averaged 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals over her 144-game career.

A first-team All-American as a junior and senior, she was the SEC player of the year, SEC defensive player of the year and national defensive player of the as a senior in 2008.

The second overall pick of the 2008 WNBA Draft, Fowles was an eight-time all-star in 15 seasons with the Chicago Sky (2008-14) and Minnesota Lynx (2015-22) and led Minnesota to league titles in 2015 and 2017 – earning MVP finals award both times.

Fowles scored in double digits in all 15 seasons and notched career averages of 15.7 points and 9.8 rebounds – shooting a WNBA-record 59.9% from the floor in 408 games. She’s the all-time leader in rebounds per game (9.8 through 2025) and was the leader with 4,006 total rebounds when she retired (since surpassed by Tina Charles). Fowles is still fourth in blocked shots (721). A three-time All-WNBA first-team pick, she was the league MVP in 2017 and was voted defensive player of the year four times.

In 2021, she was chosen one of the WNBA’s Top 25 Players of All Time as one of the league’s best and most influential players of its first 25 seasons. Her No. 34 jersey has been retired by LSU (the only other one is Seimone Augustus) and Lynx.

A 2009 LSU graduate, Fowles founded the Sylvia Fowles Family Fund in 2010 to help needy children and is a spokesperson for the Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE). … Born 10-6-1985 in Miami, Fla.