WNBA superstar Fowles got her dream ending
In the end, it all worked out for Sylvia Fowles. And then some.
I must admit, I didn't think it would.
Fowles, a 6-foot-6 all-star center and cornerstone of the Chicago Sky for seven years, demanded to be traded before to the start of the 2015 season. She asked the Sky to send her to one team and one team only: the Minnesota Lynx, one of the league's most successful franchises.
The Lynx feature three of the best players in the WNBA, Olympians Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen. In May, I said the Lynx were in love with their trio and there was no way they would part with even one to get Fowles, whom I figured would end up sitting home all summer.
Turns out, the Lynx didn't have to part with any of their superstars, and they still got Fowles. On July 27, the WNBA announced a three-team trade that sent Fowles to Minnesota, a couple of younger low-grade players from Minnesota to Atlanta and respected center Erika De Souza from Atlanta to Chicago.
The trade worked out best for Minnesota. And Fowles.
On Wednesday, Minnesota won its third WNBA title in the last five years, defeating the Indiana Fever 69-52. And Fowles was named the WNBA Finals most valuable player. She had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the winner-take-all Game 5 in Minneapolis.
Over the course of the Finals, Fowles averaged 15.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting a scorching 70 percent from the field.
"When I was looking at teams and where I wanted to go, I just wanted to go where I fit in," said Fowles, who started 25 games for Minnesota and averaged 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds during the regular season. "(Minnesota) had all the pieces besides a back-to-the-basket post player and I felt like I would fit into their system very well."
As for the more than two months she spent waiting for the deal to materialize, Fowles said she never lost faith.
"You just have to believe. I followed my gut and I prayed and prayed and prayed," Fowles said. "I knew where I wanted to be and I knew the Lord was going to lead me to a good place and that I was going to have a good season and I so happened to end up with these ladies (pointing to her teammates while being awarded the MVP trophy). I'm so happy."
And I'm happy for Fowles, a good player and even better person.
I just always thought that she'd win her first title in Chicago. She got the Sky so close last season (league runner-up) and probably could have led them back to the Finals had she stayed this season.
Around the corner: Believe it or not, college basketball season is almost here. Most major conferences had their media days this week, and games start the first week of November.
For the third straight season, the DePaul women were picked by Big East coaches to win the conference. The Blue Demons were regular season co-champs last year and went on to win the league tournament.
pbabcock@dailyherald.com
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