South Florida basketball icon Sylvia Fowles to be inducted into Naismith Hall of Fame
It’s been over two decades since Sylvia Fowles last played high school basketball in Miami-Dade County.
To this day, she is still regarded by almost anyone asked as the greatest female player to ever come out of South Florida.
Fowles spent most of the time since increasing her legacy on the college and pro levels and on the international stage as now many regard her as one of the greatest of all-time.
On Saturday, Fowles learned she’d be immortalized among the game’s greats when she was selected for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Fowles, a former McDonald’s All-American who played for Miami Edison her first three years of high school and her senior year at Gulliver Prep, enters the Hall as part of a memorable 2025 class which will include some of the greatest ever in the women’s game. Along with Fowles, former Team USA teammate Sue Bird and Maya Moore will also be inducted.
“I don’t think either of us went into this thinking we’d be Hall of Famers,” Fowles said during an interview with ESPN speaking about her fellow inductees. “You just do your job, you go out there and have fun and enjoy the company. When it’s all said and done, the job is complete. And here we are.”
Fowles, a 6-6 center, was an eight-time WNBA All-Star, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year and retired as the league’s all-time leading rebounder before Tina Charles surpassed her mark last season. She is regarded as one of the best defenders in league history and had her jersey retired by the Lynx.
During her 14 seasons, Fowles played for the Chicago Sky from 2008-2014 and later the Minnesota Lynx from 2015-2022. Fowles won two league titles with Minnesota and Finals MVP honors in both seasons as well as league MVP honors in 2017. She even was an all-WNBA second team selection in her final season at age 36.
In international competition, Fowles won four Olympic gold medals from 2008 to 2021.
Fowles led LSU to the Final Four all four of her seasons in college and earned All-American honors as a junior and senior, becoming the sixth woman to dunk in a basketball game during her senior year.
Fowles’ basketball career began at Miami Edison, where she made headlines by dunking as a freshman. Before long, Fowles would become the most dominant player in the state and led the Red Raiders to two state championships her freshman and sophomore seasons, and a berth in the state semifinals appearance as a junior.
Fowles transferred to Gulliver for her senior season and led the Raiders to an undefeated season and to their lone state championship in 2004.
The Class of 2025 has multiple headliners overall including Carmelo Anthony, former University of Florida coach Billy Donovan and Miami Heat owner Micky Arison. The induction ceremony will take place on Sept. 5-6 in San Antonio.
