The WNBA regular season is nearing its end, and so are the careers of two of the game’s best players.

Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird will meet for the final time in the regular season Friday, as Fowles’ Minnesota Lynx host Bird’s Seattle Storm. In the coming weeks, each will step onto a WNBA court for the final time as a player. Still, the impact each has had on the game will remain.

Los Angeles Sparks forward and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike underlined the power of both players, which extends well beyond their stat lines.

“The legacy that they’re leaving – it touches so many young players that I can’t wait to see how that evolves in someone else’s game,” Ogwumike told Just Women’s Sports. “They’ve done so much for the league, so much for the culture, so much for certain franchises that are now living in history.

“I’m happy we can give them their flowers while they’re still going hard and hooping.”

As a young player, Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum looked up to the duo, who she said not only influenced her game but also made her proud to be part of a league like the WNBA.

“You can’t speak enough to what both of them have done in different realms of the sport,” Plum said.

Speaking at the WNBA’s All-Star weekend, stars from across the league pointed to Bird and Fowles as trailblazers, role models and leaders.

Chicago Sky guard Candace Parker has played against Fowles since she was 14 years old and matched up against Bird for the first time in college in 2006, but also has gotten to play alongside both as part of gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic teams.

“For me personally, they’ve made me better as teammates but also made me better competing against them,” she said. “It’s amazing to be able to honor them.”

For Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, Fowles is “the toughest matchup” that she’s ever played against in her career.

“So strong physically. So dominant. A great finisher around the rim,” she said of the Lynx center. “She’s definitely someone that I look up to, someone that I try to model and shape my game around. She was the prototype of what success for a long time in this league looks like.”

Jones views Bird as a “prototype” for point guards in the league. The Storm star has helped shape the game both for the WNBA and women’s sports as a whole, Jones said.

“I’m happy to say that she’s a member of the WNBA and I’m a member of the WNBA with her,” she added.

When Fowles and Bird each were asked about the other’s impact, both focused on the strengths of the person – not the player.

“Sue Bird is everything this game needed: her leadership, her sisterhood, her friendship and just the things she does for the community,” Fowles said. “I think any young player, young point guard should have a good foundation of role models to go off of and Sue Bird is definitely one of those people.”

For Bird, Fowles’ care for her teammates sets the Lynx center apart from the rest.

“Sylvia is the one player I think in our league, when you see how her teammates interact with her, how they take to her – I know they jokingly call her grandma and whatnot – she really just has a certain nature about her that is so warm, so welcoming and so inviting,” Bird said. “I think the way that she impacts her team, the way she’s able to bring groups together, I can’t even think of another player that does it the same way Syl does.

“Believe me, I could sit here and talk about points and rebounds and championships and all of the things, but that, I think, is the secret ingredient that she has.”

Younger players, including Atlanta Dream rookie Rhyne Howard and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, recognize how Fowles and Bird have elevated the WNBA.

“It’s pretty remarkable, what they’ve meant to our sport and to everyone,” Ionescu said. “Where they came from and where they’ve left the game is absolutely in better hands. We’re excited as younger athletes to continue to pave the way for those to follow but they’ve done an incredible job and their career has been nothing short of amazing.”

For Howard, Fowles and Bird have provided footsteps to follow.

“They’ve set the stone,” Howard said. “They’ve been and done everything that young rookies like me want to do. So just to have them to look up to is big.”

Seattle Storm star Jewell Loyd sees in the retirements of Fowles and Bird a call to action for those still in the league and those to come.

“They’re what it means to be a professional athlete. To be a role model. To be a leader,” she said. “They are a generational talent. It’s sad that they’re leaving but they’ve left their mark and it’s our job now to carry that through.”

When Sylvia Fowles stole the ball from Jackie Young in the middle of the second quarter of the WNBA All-Star Game last month, she dribbled the length of the court with a full head of steam. No one was in front of her — just an empty lane and the basket. A second later, Fowles leapt and stuffed the ball into the net with such force that it sent everyone in Wintrust Arena into a frenzy.

Especially the players.

“I think I heard, like, my teammates and the crowd and I was like, OK, just go for it,” Fowles, 36, told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game.

While the dunk itself injected much-needed energy into the building, the moment was also symbolic. Fowles last dunked in her very first All-Star game as a member of the Chicago Sky in 2008. This season, her last in the WNBA, she did it again — and in Chicago no less — putting a stamp on her illustrious 15-year career.

In the years since Fowles went No. 2 overall to the Sky in the 2008 draft, behind No. 1 pick Candace Parker, she has spent seven seasons in Chicago and eight with the Minnesota Lynx, receiving accolades, winning awards and setting all-time records along the way. She is a two-time WNBA champion with Minnesota, a two-time WNBA Finals MVP, a WNBA MVP, an eight-time WNBA All-Star and a four-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

As the 14-20 Lynx fight for a playoff spot in their two remaining games of the regular season, Fowles heads into the final phase of her career as the all-time record holder in defensive rebounds (2,855), total rebounds (3,982) and field-goal percentage (59.9 percent).

“I feel like the impact that she’s had on the game and the league, I feel like, just as a post player — I mean she’s changed the game when it comes to posts being able to be big, strong but also mobile,” says New York Liberty center Stefanie Dolson. “Finishing around the rim, I feel like she’s one of the greatest at that. At rebounding. Just everything in general.”

Dolson still remembers the first time she matched up against Fowles in the post. She calls it her “welcome to the WNBA” moment. Mike Thibault, her head coach at the time with the Washington Mystics, told her with a simple shrug, “Do what you can.”

“I did, and she killed me. She just dominated me,” Dolson says. “I realized I had to get stronger because I figured if that was what all post players were like, then it was gonna be tough for me. It’s made me a better player, a better post player.”

Fowles’ overall impact on the game and accomplishments are evident. But what makes her one of the most beloved and respected players in the history of the WNBA goes way beyond the boundary lines of the hardwood.

“Sylvia has carried the torch unheralded for a long time in this league,” says Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller. “She should be mentioned with the all-time greats, in sentence one. She probably has never really gotten the credit that she deserves. That’s how good she’s been. But also, everyone speaks so highly of her. To listen to players talk about her is just a credit to what a great teammate she has been.”

Mama Syl. Sweet Syl. Big Mommy.

These are just a few of the nicknames players around the league have bestowed upon Fowles. And with good reason. Anyone who has teamed up with her, or even played against her night in and night out, will gladly tell you why.

“It’s my dream (playing with her),” says Lynx teammate Damiras Dantas. “I dreamed one day in Brazil I’d come to this league. I watched Syl on YouTube, like videos of offense and defense, and now I’m here and it’s a good opportunity to learn something, play together. I come here every day and Syl teaches me something new — on and outside the court.”

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Dantas has played five seasons with Fowles in Minnesota. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Dantas describes Fowles as someone who’s always dancing before games, having fun and lifting up others.

“I feel like she’s my mom,” Dantas adds. “She does everything right and she dominates post play, defense, rebounds. So for me, she’s the best post player in this league and the world.”

Jessica Shepard is quick to agree. The Lynx forward comes in every morning and receives a hug from Fowles. And when they hit the gym, Fowles shares lessons she’s learned along her storied basketball journey.

“Syl’s one of the most amazing people you’ll ever be around. She’s so caring with all of her teammates, and every day she’s checking in on you,” Shepard says. “And then you get on the court and you watch the greatest really every night. It’s fun to watch, and just being on the court with her makes [the game] a lot easier.”

Before Rachel Banham joined the Lynx, she spent four years playing against Fowles as a member of the Sun. Every time Banham had to run through a screen against Minnesota, she knew what was waiting for her on the other side.

“I remember we used to always double her and I was like, she doesn’t even feel me down here,” Banham says about Fowles with a laugh. “I was like a little ant. So that always made me laugh. I would tell her that after games and be like, ‘You didn’t even feel me down there, did you?’ I was a little rag doll.”

Now that they’re teammates, Banham has gotten to experience how the other half lives.

“It’s been really fun because she sets such good screens that I’m always open when I come off of ball screens,” she says. “And I can throw any kind of pass at her and she always catches it. I can throw it so high and somehow she always catches it. So that’s been fun. She just makes basketball easier.”

Danielle Robinson, Fowles’ former teammate with the Lynx and a current guard for the Indiana Fever, has nothing but good things to say about her. The two got to know each other during one WNBA offseason when Robinson was recovering from an injury. Fowles invited Robinson to come stay with her and train in Miami, where Fowles grew up and still resides.

“[She] welcomed me into her home and cooked dinner for us, and spent time. … This is her space, and you know how people love their space,” Robinson says. “For her to invite me down there — I think I was down there for like a week — just to see her regimen and how she trains and who she trains with. She took us to the beach and everything. It was just a cool moment.”

Once, when Robinson was holding an event in downtown Minneapolis to provide meals for the unhoused, Fowles volunteered to join her.

“She’s there for you and always willing to help,” Robinson says. “On top of that, she’s just the best person. Literally, you call her Sweet Syl for that very reason.”

“The first thing I think of is somebody with so much dominance and aggression that carries so much grace,” says Los Angeles guard Brittney Sykes. “She is an amazing human being. Like, I just love her so much. … She is the sweetest person ever. Like, the sweetest teddy bear.”

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The Chicago crowd erupted after Fowles dunked in her last WNBA All-Star Game on July 10. (Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)

In 2015, the Lynx faced the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Finals, and the series went to a deciding Game 5. Lindsay Whalen, former Lynx great and current head coach at the University of Minnesota, recalls head coach Cheryl Reeve drawing up four main plays. Three of them, she says, were for Fowles.

“And that’s why we beat Indiana,” Whalen says. “They just did not have an answer for Syl. She carried us. She really did. 2015 and 2017 are two examples where she just carried us to the championship.”

Whalen first connected with Fowles at Team USA basketball camp when Fowles was still with the Sky. The two had great on-court chemistry from the jump, fitting into their designated point guard-center roles seamlessly. Whalen knew exactly where to lob the ball into the post, and Fowles knew when it was time to screen and create a lane. Together, they won two Olympic gold medals at London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and naturally they became friends off the court as well. Once Fowles joined Whalen in Minnesota, their bond grew even stronger.

“She’s probably the kindest, nicest superstar that there’s ever been,” Whalen says. “I mean, she’s helping fold laundry after the games with the support staff and helping the managers organize the Gatorade bottle. She’s so down to earth, it’s pretty incredible.

“Our friendship continues even after our playing days. She’s someone who I’ll always look up to and admire. I’ll always consider her more than a teammate.”

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Fowles and Lindsay Whalen won two Olympic gold medals and two WNBA championships as teammates. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

As the 2022 season winds down and Fowles’ retirement draws near, Whalen knows Fowles will miss the game but that new adventures lie ahead. And whatever Fowles goes on to do in her career — she earned her degree in mortuary science while playing in the WNBA — Whalen has no doubt in her mind that Fowles will be content.

“I know she’ll miss it, like we all do. You don’t get it back. And it’s such a big part of our lives for all of these years,” she says. “but I think she’s the type of person who will be successful in a lot of different areas and a lot of different things.”

For now, Fowles continues to excel at the highest level despite her age and the toll of running up and down the court for the better part of her life. If the Lynx are to make the playoffs for the 12th straight year after a slow start to the season, that road will likely go through Fowles, who is averaging 14.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game.

“Nowadays, you’re seeing a lot of people spread the floor and shoot, but she dominates the block,” Banham says. “She’s a true five, and she’s so strong. She can rebound, she can score, she can block shots. She makes it really tough for people inside to figure out how to guard her and how to stop her.”

“Even now in her last year, she’s drawing double- and triple-teams and still finishing through that,” adds Robinson. “And I think that’s just a testament to how hard she works, honestly, and just the skill set that she has.”

Even before she set out on her farewell season, Fowles’ basketball legacy was firmly intact. But the impression she’s had on the players and coaches around the league will last far beyond her final game.

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering the WNBA and college basketball. She also contributes to The Athletic and is the co-author of “Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.” Follow Lyndsey on Twitter @darcangel21.

The Minnesota Lynx pulled out a big-time win Tuesday over the Mercury, but not without some tough choices — and some controversy.

In the final minute of Minnesota’s double-overtime 118-107 win, Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi kicked Sylvia Fowles in the groin, leaving the center doubled over in pain.

While Fowles subbed out for the final 33 seconds of the game after the contact with Taurasi, she went well past her 25-minute limit. She played for a total of 36 minutes, going against Lynx trainer Chuck Barta’s wishes.

“I’m in trouble,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeves said. “Chuck wanted to sub her out. [It was an] executive decision. Syl said no.”

According to Reeves, Fowles said she felt good enough to keep going. Fowles ended up contributing 14 points and 14 rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting, but Reeve knows the extra wear and tear could have an impact down the line.

“Obviously it can be problematic. It’s going to be problematic,” Reeves said. “Tomorrow there’ll be joint effusion. It’s probably going to affect us for Thursday. So we have to really monitor Moriah [Jefferson] and Syl to see what’s happening there.

“So it could be a costly game, but it was a must win.”

Fowles already has missed time this season with a knee injury, exiting the Lynx lineup for five games due to a cartilage injury. She made her return two weeks later and has been dominating ever since, including in the All-Star Game over the weekend, where she dunked for the first time since 2009.

The Lynx are at the bottom of the Western Conference but have won their last three and six out of their last 10. Included among their wins are upsets over the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces, the league’s top two teams.

Tuesday’s win over the Mercury certainly helped as the Lynx look to climb the rankings, as the Mercury sit just a half-game ahead of them in the Western Conference.

Minnesota is back in action Thursday against the Dallas Wings before a Friday matchup against the Indiana Fever.

Sylvia Fowles put on a show in her final WNBA All-Star Game.

With the veteran set to retire at the end of the 2022 season, the WNBA wanted to send off Fowles in style, naming her as an honorary co-captain of Team Wilson.

The 36-year-old lived up to the hype, throwing down a dunk in the second quarter that set Wintrust Arena on fire.

According to Google, searches for Fowles increased by 1,950 percent in the first half.

Fowles’ last All-Star dunk came in 2009 in her first All-Star Game appearance. The center finished Sunday’s game with seven points, nine rebounds and six assists, helping Team Wilson to a 134-112 victory over Team Stewart.

NBA 2K released its WNBA Edition cover Wednesday, with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi gracing the 2K23 iteration of the video game.

Last year, Candace Parker became the first WNBA athlete to grace the cover of NBA 2K.

After the announcement dropped, though, the Minnesota Lynx called out the omission of star center Sylvia Fowles.

Fowles, like Bird, is in her final season in the WNBA. To honor the pair ahead of their impending retirements, the league named Fowles and Bird as captains for Sunday’s WNBA All-Star game alongside A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

A two-time WNBA champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, Fowles is also second in the league in rebounds this season (9.3 per game) and is averaging 14.9 points per game.

Taurasi, who is the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, is averaging 15.5 points per game this season alongside 4.1 assists, while Bird is averaging 8.3 points and 5.9 assists.

Taurasi and Bird were teammates at UConn and helped the Huskies win a national title in 2002.

NBA 2K is partnering with Bird and Taurasi to donate $100,000 to Every Kid Sports. The money will help cover the youth basketball registration fees for more than 550 girls.

“It’s an incredible feeling to see myself on the cover of a video game that has such a cultural impact,” Bird said as part of the announcement. “And by partnering with NBA 2K and Every Kid Sports, Diana and I have the opportunity to open doors to hundreds of young girls in this country who want to express themselves on the court. I’m honored to be on the cover, and even more honored to use my legacy to provide these opportunities for the next generation.”

Sylvia Fowles made her final regular-season appearance in Chicago on Sunday. While the Lynx fell to the Sky behind a game-sealing dagger from Courtney Vandersloot, the contest still held special meaning for Fowles, who is set to retire at the end of the season.

The matchup served as a homecoming for Fowles, who was selected second overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2008 WNBA draft. The 36-year-old played with Chicago for seven seasons before joining the Minnesota Lynx in 2015.

The Sky celebrated Fowles’ final stop at Wintrust Arena. Ahead of the game, Chicago presented Fowles with a framed Sky jersey with her name and number, as well as a recliner and a knitting kit to help her relax in her retirement. The team also played a video tribute for the star center.

After the game, Fowles received a personal gift from Candace Parker’s mom. Sara Parker appeared to present the Lynx icon with a scrapbook after the game. Fowles and Parker have a storied rivalry that dates back to their days at LSU and Tennessee, respectively, when they battled it out in the SEC.

Vandersloot, who played with Fowles in Chicago from 2011-2014, also paid tribute to her after Sunday’s contest, telling reporters that Fowles “laid the foundation” for the Sky.

“She was one the originals when I was here, and she was young, and she was all about winning,” said Vandersloot of Fowles. “Her intensity taught me a lot. She just wanted to win at all costs, and I think that’s what makes her really, really special is that she’ll do anything for the team, anything to win, and everywhere she goes, she wins, and she’ll continue that after her career.”

Sylvia Fowles has been cleared to return to the Minnesota Lynx lineup, the team announced Thursday, after missing the last two weeks with a cartilage injury in her right knee.

Fowles is available for the Lynx game against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday. She’s been out for five games, with forward Nikolina Milic being released from her hardship contract.

Before going down with her injury, Fowles was averaging 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, the only WNBA player to average a double-double so far this season. She also currently leads the league in field goal percentage (64.1) and rebounds per game. Included amongst her rebounding performances is a league-high 20-rebound game on June 1, which tied the Lynx franchise single-game record.

On Wednesday, Fowles was named a WNBA All-Star co-captain — in honor of this being her final WNBA season — and starter.

Milic was signed by Minnesota in early May, starting in the past three games for Minnesota and playing in all 17. She had been averaging 0.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

The Lynx currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 4-13 record, having won their most recent game Tuesday against the Mercury.

Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird is one of 20 WNBA All-Star selections announced Wednesday, with Bird extending her record number of selections to 13.

Joining Bird are Minnesota’s Sylvia Fowles, Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson and fellow Seattle teammate Breanna Stewart. A total of four guards and six frontcourt players were selected. Two first-timers will join them in Chicago, with Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum each making their first team.

“For icons like Sylvia and Sue to be voted into the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game as starters in their 19th and 15th seasons, respectively, is extraordinary,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “And when you see the starting lineups dotted with first-time All-Stars like Sabrina Ionescu, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young, it just seems right that Sylvia and Sue — who have said this will be their final season — join A’ja and Breanna as co-captains for an All-Star event that will in some ways symbolize the passing of the torch to a new generation of WNBA stars.”

Wilson and Stewart each received the most fan votes, making them co-captains who will select teams. They will be joined by Bird and Fowles, respectively, who are being honored in their final WNBA seasons.

Phoenix Mercury star Brittany Griner, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia, has been named an honorary All-Star. Griner has been named an All-Star seven times previously in her career.

“During each season of Brittney’s career in which there has been an All-Star Game, she has been selected as an All-Star,” Engelbert said. “It is not difficult to imagine that if BG were here with us this season, she would once again be selected and would, no doubt, show off her incredible talents. So, it is only fitting that she be named as an honorary starter today and we continue to work on her safe return to the U.S.”

Backcourt

  • Kelsey Plum, LVA
  • Jackie Young, LVA
  • Sabrina Ionescu, NYL
  • Sue Bird, SEA
  • Jewell Loyd, SEA
  • Skylar Diggins-Smith, PHX
  • Arike Ogunbowale, DAL
  • Courtney Vandersloot, CHI
  • Rhyne Howard, ATL
  • Kelsey Mitchell, IND

Frontcourt

  • A’ja Wilson, LVA
  • Breanna Stewart, SEA
  • Sylvia Fowles, MIN
  • Nneka Ogwumike, LAS
  • Jonquel Jones, CON
  • Candace Parker, CHI
  • Dearica Hamby, LVA
  • Elena Delle Donne, WAS
  • Tina Charles, PHO
  • Emma Meesseman, CHI

The Minnesota Lynx have ruled out team leader Sylvia Fowles indefinitely following an MRI that confirmed a cartilage injury in her right knee.

The team announced Thursday afternoon that Fowles would sit out Friday’s game against the Washington Mystics, then followed up with details of the injury. Fowles was injured during Tuesday’s 88-69 loss to the New York Liberty.

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said Thursday that she does not think Fowles’ injury will require surgery, per SB nation site Canis Hoopus. Reeve did not say when Fowles is expected to return.

The center is in the midst of what she has said will be her last WNBA season. Fowles has led a struggling Lynx through 12 games with 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. She is the only player in the league averaging a double-double.

In her 15th season, Fowles sits 10th in the league in points per game and first in rebounds per game.

Back in early May, she became the 13th WNBA player to reach 6,000 points in her career. One of the best defensive players in the WNBA, Fowles has been one of the few bright spots this season for the Lynx, who are currently 3-9 and sit at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Damiris Dantas could make her season debut for the Lynx in Friday’s game, and Moriah Jefferson is listed as probable with a left quadriceps strain.

Sylvia Fowles has entered her final WNBA season, and is making history in the process, becoming the 13th player to score 6,000 career points on Sunday during Minnesota’s 78-66 loss to the Washington Mystics.

Fowles had 13 points and eight rebounds, one block and one steal in the loss, moving into 10th on the WNBA All-Time scoring list with 6,012 career points. She passed Seimone Augustus (6,005), Lauren Jackson (6,007) and Candace Parker (6,011).

She’s just the second player of the 2008 draft class behind Candace Parker to surpass 6,000 career points. Additionally, Fowles is now the only player in the WNBA to have more than 6,000 career points and 3,5000 career rebounds.

A two-time WNBA Champion, Fowles is one of the best defensive players in the WNBA, she’s won Defensive Player of the Year four times – just one behind Tamika Catchings. She has made it known she intends to retire at the end of the season.

“We really want to take this entire season to celebrate Syl and the amazing person that she is,” Carley Knox, Minnesota’s president of business operations, told the New York Times.

But Fowles sees her accomplishments as all a part of her job.

“If you have a task and you have a job, your job is to do that task and do that duty,” she said to the NYT. “And so for me, I’m like, this was my job, like, I’ve got paid to do a duty. I shouldn’t have to be given credit for me doing my job.”

Still, that doesn’t stop some from pointing out that her career has been undervalued by those covering.

“The league has grossly undeserved Sylvia’s career,” Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said last August. “I’m sure ESPN wanted to love up on all the stars the Storm has … you guys are watching greatness. One of the best players ever, certainly at the center spot. There is nobody close in terms of what she does for her team.”

But as she enters her final season, Fowles has noticed how the attention on her game has risen despite her not playing any better or worse than previous years.

“You got fans who’s been around from the beginning, who appreciate what I do. But you also have people who understand what I do, know that I’m different and still won’t give me the credit,” Fowles said. “So to me, I’m just like, why now that I’m saying this is my last year, why do I need the attention now? It’s not like I ever got the credit anyway.”