Syl's Year: A Look Through Fowles' Dominant MVP Season
Minnesota’s Sylvia Fowles had a dominant season for the league’s top team en route to winning her first WNBA MVP award. Take a look at her top photos throughout the season and her path to the MVP.
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- Fowles and the Minnesota Lynx entered the 2017 season looking to re-claim the crown they captured in 2015 after falling in the 2016 WNBA Finals to the Los Angeles Sparks in an epic five-game series.
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- Fowles and the Lynx finished the preseason with two dominant victories, fueling an eventual 9-0 start to the regular season.
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- Fowles started off the regular season strong, posting a double-double in Minnesota’s 70-61 victory over the Chicago Sky on May 14. She finished the game with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.
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- Fowles was named the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month for May. She averaged 20 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, two steals, and one assist per game during the month.
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- Fowles scored her season high of 30 points on June 11 against the Dallas Wings. She finished the game with nine rebounds as well.
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- Fowles again was named the Western Conference Player of the Month, this time for June. She helped lead the Lynx to a WNBA-best 12-1 record by the end of the month, led the league in field goal percentage (66%), and ranked second in scoring (20.7 PPG) and rebounding (10.1 RPG). She was also third in steals (1.85 SPG) and blocks (1.77 BPG). Fowles was the only player in the league to rank in the top five in all five categories.
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- In the first matchup of the season between the top two teams in the WNBA, Fowles led the Lynx to an 88-77 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks. She finished the game with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds.
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- Fowles competed in her fourth WNBA All-Star Game, along with teammates Maya Moore, Rebekkah Brunson and Seimone Augustus, plus Minnesota’s coaching staff. During the game, hosted by the Seattle Storm, Fowles had eight points and five rebounds in 14:47 of playing time.
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- For the third time this season and 10th in her career, Fowles was named the Western Conference Player of the Month, this time for July. The team went 7-1 during the month, led by Fowles’ conference-best 9.4 rebounds per game. Fowles was second in the WNBA in scoring (21.1 PPG), field goal percentage (71.7%), and blocked shots (2.38 BPG). She scored at least 20 points in four of the team’s eight contests, finishing the month with two 29-point games in a row.
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- The Lynx signed Fowles to a new multi-year contract extension, the team announced on Sept. 1.
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- Fowles was named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team for the sixth time in her career. She was tied for second in the league in blocks (1.97 BPG), and helped command a Lynx defense that led the league in defensive rating (94.1) and points allowed (74.2 PPG). The three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year was tied for second place in All-Defense voting, just seven points behind the Defensive Player of the Year, Alana Beard.
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- Fowles and the Lynx lead the Washington Mystics 1-0 in the Best-of-5 Semifinals, looking to advance to the WNBA Finals for the third straight season.
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- Fowles received her MVP award prior to Minnesota’s Game 2 against the Mystics.
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