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.”

Sylvia Fowles will return to the Minnesota Lynx for her 15th season in the WNBA, which will also be her last. The Lynx announced Fowles’ return and subsequent retirement in a video posted to social media.

The center has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, winning two titles with the Lynx (2015, 2017) and winning the WNBA Finals MVP both years. She was also named league MVP in 2017. Last August, she won her fourth Olympic gold medal with Team USA.

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

She’ll enter her eighth season with Minnesota after being acquired by the team in a three-team trade in 2015. Fowles began her career in 2008 with the Chicago Sky as their No. 2 overall pick.

A seven-time All-Star, she has appeared in 378 career games between the Sky and the Lynx, averaging 15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks through 30.4 minutes per game. Entering the 2022 season, she is the WNBA’s all-time leader in field goal percentage (59.7%), rebounds (3,712), and double-doubles (180).

“I cannot understate our appreciation for not only Sylvia Fowles the basketball player, but more importantly, Sylvia Fowles the person,” said head coach and GM Cheryl Reeve. “Her loyalty and belief in our franchise is beyond measure. I am thrilled that Syl is returning to the Lynx for her final season in the WNBA and look forward to her continuing to etch her mark as the greatest center in WNBA history.”

In September, Fowles was named to the W25, honoring the 25 greatest and most influential players in WNBA history.

She announced her return in late January but team’s couldn’t announce the signing until Feb. 1.

“There are a few 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 I gave them the opportunity to see me play my final season. It feels right that my playing career finishes in Minnesota; there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

WNBA star Sylvia Fowles is returning to the Minnesota Lynx for her eighth year with the team and 15th in the league.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year confirmed the news in an Instagram post, published to her account on Wednesday.

Joining the Lynx in 2015, Fowles has been a critical presence in the paint and on the boards for the team since her arrival. Seven years in, Fowles is still putting up big numbers, finishing the 2021 season averaging 6.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.8 steals and 1.4 assists over 31 games.

Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve has been vocal about the former MVP’s impact, calling Fowles “one of the best players ever, certainly at the center spot.”

With two WNBA titles and seven All-Star appearances to her name, Fowles is a giant of the sport, but Reeve says the 36-year-old doesn’t get nearly enough recognition.

“I think our league has grossly underserved Sylvia Fowles’ career. … Sylvia Fowles is the most underserved player in the league; you never see the league pushing Sylvia Fowles,” Reeve told Winsidr, “Let’s do our part to make sure Syl is getting the shine she deserves. … Understand she has carried this franchise. When all the other players left and retired and rode off into the sunset, Syl stayed and has carried this franchise and has put us back in contention.”

With her first child due in May, Naphessa Collier is expected to miss at least a portion of the 2022 season, making Fowles’s return to the Lynx even more consequential.