Sylvia Fowles, a Hall of Famer who wrapped her prolific WNBA playing career in 2022, is returning to the league as a coach, according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, who reported Wednesday that Fowles will serve as an assistant on the staff of the Portland Fire during the team’s inaugural season in 2026.
The Fire are one of two teams joining the W next season. The other is the Toronto Tempo, who will be coached by former New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello.
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Meanwhile, the Fire will be led by Alex Sarama, who the Cleveland Cavaliers brought aboard last season and is known for his work in player development. Fowles will be assisting Sarama on the bench, lending her vast knowledge about a league that she dominated during its formative decades.
SPRINGFIELD, MA – SEPTEMBER 06: Hall of Fame Inductee Sylvia Fowles speaks during the 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on September 6, 2025, at Symphony Hall in Springfield, MA. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Fowles had multiple coaching opportunities ahead of the 2026 campaign, per ESPN’s report, but she’s headed to Portland, where she’ll call upon her championship experience to help build another contender in a league that’s increasingly competitive and popular.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 draft, Fowles went from starring at LSU to playing a big role in the WNBA. A game-changing center, Fowles became an eight-time All-Star, four-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, two-time WNBA champion and one-time league MVP.
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She played with the Chicago Sky for her first seven seasons and with the Minnesota Lynx for her final eight, winning both of her rings with the Lynx.
Only Tamika Catchings has won WNBA Defensive Player of the Year more times than Fowles. Catchings, another Hall of Famer, collected the award five different seasons.
Fowles is fourth all-time in blocks. She led the league in that category during both the 2010 and 2011 seasons. She could say the same about rebounding in 2013, 2018 and 2022, and she actually retired as the W’s all-time leading rebounder. That said, Tina Charles passed Fowles on that leaderboard last season.
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Fowles enjoyed similar success internationally, piling up four Olympic gold medals from 2008 to 2021. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this past April.
A year later, she’ll be gearing up for her first season in the WNBA as a coach.
