Sylvia Fowles is a Hall-of-Famer. That’s finally true after Saturday’s induction ceremony in which she was enshrined alongside other legends such as Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard. Fowles is one of the best players the women’s game has ever seen, and one of its most dominating centers.
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Fowles was a dominant force and a winner throughout her entire career. She helped lead LSU to four consecutive Final Fours as a collegian. She won an MVP and four Defensive Player of the Year awards once she reached the WNBA, and she led the Minnesota Lynx to two titles, winning Finals MVP both times.
Fowles also made her mark on the international scene, as she was part of four straight U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning teams from 2008-20. In an exclusive interview with The SportsRush’s Adit Pujari, she reflected on her time wearing the red, white, and blue.
Fowles went 87-6 as a member of Team USA, and when asked what that run meant to her, she said, “It’s such a great honor to have the opportunity, one, because it’s not easy to make a team every four years for four consecutive gold medals … so I’m honored.”
“But two, it’s just like, you know, you’re playing with some of the best of the best in the world. And so you just have to appreciate all the talent that’s around you and enjoy the moment.”
Fowles is right that she got to play with the best players in the world, but she left out the part that she was definitely one of them. Even among those other all-time greats, she currently ranks in the top 10 in Team USA history in points, rebounds, and field goal percentage.
Given that she was a part of Team USA throughout her career, not every gold medal run was created equally for Fowles. When asked which one stood out the most, she said, “I just had so many great legends around me who made my first Olympics so easy,” while citing fellow legends such as Lisa Leslie, Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi, and Sue Bird, among others.
“And they pretty much showed me the ropes,” she continued, so I didn’t feel any stress or any pressure in the 2008 Olympics, so that one sticks out the most.”
Fowles was just 23 when she made her first Olympic run, the same year that she made her rookie debut in the WNBA. Twelve years later, she had a different perspective. She was still a great player, but she knew the end of her playing career wasn’t far off.
“The last one was kind of hard because, you know, you’re stepping away and you know that’s your last one,” she recalled. “So it’s more emotion behind it. But definitely happy that I had that chance and the opportunity to end it on a good note, and wasn’t the first team that didn’t win gold.”
The Americans again won gold in 2024, their first time playing an Olympics without Fowles in 20 years. That extended their streak to eight consecutive gold medals, a legacy that Fowles is a huge part of.
