On the same day the WNBA Semifinals Game 2 was set to take place, Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles has been named WNBA MVP for the 2017 season. The award win is the first for Fowles as she and the Lynx are looking to get back to the WNBA Finals after failing to win against the Los Angeles Sparks last postseason. Here's the latest on Fowles' big win and which other top stars in the league she joins as WNBA MVP.
All-Star season
As ESPN reported, Sylvia Fowles edged out former WNBA MVP Award winners Tina Charles of the New York Liberty and Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks. Fowles had 35 of 40 first-place votes and got 385 total points compared to 199 for Charles and 132 for Parker. Fowles was named to the WNBA All-Star team for her fourth time this past season.
For the regular season, Fowles averaged 18.9 points a game, 10.4 rebounds a game, and 1.97 blocks per game. She led the league for the fifth season with a field goal percentage of 65.5 percent and was a large part of the Minnesota Lynx claiming the No.
1 seed in this year's playoffs. She tied Connecticut Sun star Jonquel Jones with 20 double-doubles for the season.
With the win, Sylvia Fowles becomes the second player for the Minnesota franchise to win the award. In 2014, Maya Moore became the first Lynx player to achieve the MVP Award.
Previous winners
The reigning WNBA MVP heading into the current season was Los Angeles' Nneka Ogwumike. In the 2015 season, it was former Chicago Sky star Elena Delle Donne capturing the award. Delle Donne is now on the Washington Mystics team that is battling Minnesota in the best-of-five WNBA semifinals series.
Maya Moore was the 2014 award winner, while Candace Parker won in 2013 and Tina Charles, who played for the Connecticut Sun at the time, won for the 2012 season.
Parker has won the award twice during her career with the first win coming in the 2008 season.
As far as most MVP Award wins during a career, three players are tied for that distinction. Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets, Lisa Leslie of the Sparks, and Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm have each won the distinction three times.
As mentioned, Fowles and her Minnesota Lynx are battling the Washington Mystics in one of the WNBA Semifinals series. The Lynx took a 1-0 series lead after a 101-81 win on Tuesday night. Fowles contributed to the victory with 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting and seven rebounds, along with two steals and an assist.
If Sylvia Fowles continues to play at the level she did this past season, it won't be surprising to see her rack up a few more MVP trophies before her All-Star career has finished.