Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. We jot down NBA and WNBA stuff mostly from last night that we want to talk about. Check it out.
The Minnesota Lynx’s Sylvia Fowles passed her ex-teammate Rebekka Brunson as the all-time rebounding leader in the WNBA.
(PHOTO CREDIT: WNBA.)
Sylvia Fowles had done it all in the WNBA. She is a 6-time all-star, a 3-time All-WNBA First Team member, a 3-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, a 6-time member of the WNBA All-Defensive First Team, a WNBA MVP (2017), a 2-time WNBA Finals MVP, AND a 2-time WNBA champion.
Now we can add WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder on her resume.
Sylvia had been in the league since 2008. As long as she has been in the league, she can still be a dominant player. After putting up 17 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a win over Connecticut, she followed up with 15 points and 11 boards against Seattle. She needed 6 boards to pass her ex-teammate Rebekka Brunson and she did that before the first half ended. Brunson is now an assistant coach with the Lynx and for her to be there to witness this made the moment that much more special.
Sylvia has been a monster on the boards ever since she came into the league. She was a bit slowed early because of injuries but she’s averaged double digits in rebounds six times in her career. Fowles spent the first 7 seasons of her career with the Chicago Sky before getting traded 5 years and 2 days ago to the Minnesota Lynx. She helped the Lynx become a dynasty as she was huge for the team in their 2015 and 2017 championship runs. As mentioned, she won the Finals MVP in both of those titles as well as the league MVP in 2017 (which seemed so long ago, right?).
I know the talk about is her rebounding but her defense has been stout throughout her career. She’s won the Defensive Player of the Year award three times (most recent being 2016).
The Lynx seemed unfair with that stacked roster that included Fowles, Brunson, Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, and Seimone Augustus. Brunson, Moore, and Whalen have retired from the game since (though there’s a chance Moore could be coming back since she took time off to help out in criminal justice) while Augustus is now unthinkably with the Sparks. Fowles is the only remaining player from the Lynx dynasty. But she is there to lead the next generation of Lynx players like Napheesa Collier, Lexie Brown, and Crystal Dangerfield. And what better player to lead by example than Sylvia Fowles?
Congrats to the new all-time leading rebounder of the WNBA, two-time WNBA champion Sylvia Fowles.
Bullet Passes
The Lynx did get plastered by the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night. The Storm look terrifying as they pretty much have everyone back from that 2018 WNBA championship team. Breanna Stewart is looking her MVP self again after a terrifying Achilles injury and Sue Bird is as crafty as ever after missing the entirety of last season with a knee injury.
The defending champion Washington Mystics continue to wow us as they go to 2-0 after defeating their Finals opponents from last season, the Connecticut Sun. This time around, it’s Aerial Powers (an all-timer in sports names) scoring 27 points for the champs. It looks like we may have underestimated the heart of a champion (thank you, Rudy Tomjanovich).
While the Sun haven’t won a game yet, that duo of Alyssa Thomas (28 points, 11 boards on Tuesday) and DeWanna Bonner (29 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) is scary good. Too bad, they don’t have Jonquel Jones this season.
We have mentioned Myisha Hines-Allen and Monique Billings as players who have taken advantage of increased burn. Now we have Kahleah Copper of the Chicago Sky, who is leading the team in scoring with 19.5 points in two games. She certainly has not been shy on putting up shots thus far and it’s helping out the Sky big-time. Certainly a woman to watch out for.
Double U Scoreboard
WAS 94 (2-0) v CON 89 (0-2)
LA 78 (1-1) v CHI 96 (2-0)
MIN 66 (1-1) v SEA 90 (2-0)
Watch This Play
Look at Stewie stop the Minnesota Lynx by herself. Amazing recovery.
❌❌❌ @breannastewart #StrongerThanEver pic.twitter.com/GfyEFF9Imz
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) July 29, 2020
Certainly on her way back to reclaim MVP status.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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