On the court, Sylvia Fowles was known as “Big Syl.” A 6-foot-6 center, the former MVP was known for her ability to battle for rebounds and block shots.
Off the court, she was “Mama Syl.” She was a veteran presence who loved to work with younger players and help them develop into future stars.
And now for the first time, Fowles will be “Coach Syl.”
On Monday morning, the Portland Fire announced she will join the staff as the team’s newest assistant coach. She joins Alex Sarama’s staff alongside Brittni Donaldson, who is both an assistant coach and assistant general manager.
The Portland Fire announced the hiring of Sylvia Fowles as an assistant coach on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025.Portland Fire
Sarama has limited experience with professional women’s basketball and Fowles’ hire is practically the polar opposite. Fowles will be a first-time coach, but the WNBA veteran was one of the most respected leaders and post presences during her playing career.
After playing collegiately at LSU, Fowles was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in 2008 by the Chicago Sky and spent six years there. She was traded to Minnesota in 2015 and helped lead the Lynx on a legendary run.
Minnesota won WNBA Championships in 2015 and 2017 and Fowles was named Finals MVP both years. In 2017, Fowles averaged 18.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and two blocks per game and was named WNBA MVP.
When she retired in 2022, Fowles was the WNBA’s all-time leader in rebounds, an eight-time WNBA All-Star, a three-time All-WNBA First Team selection, a four-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time All-WNBA Defensive team selection. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2025.
“Sylvia is a legend of the game,” Sarama said in a news release. “Her experience, leadership, and understanding of the league will be critical as we continue to build the identity of this team and design our principles of play. Sylvia sets an elite standard, has a deep connection to this league, and brings a player-first perspective that will elevate everyone in our program.”
When it came down to choosing her landing spot for where to start her coaching career, Sylvia Fowles said the decision was easy as she was already planning on a move from South Florida to the Pacific Northwest. And the chance to help jumpstart a new franchise was too good to pass up.
“The culture in Portland was very intriguing,” Fowles said. “They just have a really good city that backs women’s sports. And I thought that was a good opportunity if I was going to get my feet wet. This is a place where I want to set the foundation.”
Fowles said the other thing that sold her on the Portland Fire was meeting with Sarama, who indicated that Fowles will be an important part of setting the culture for the Fire.
“For me to have a level playing field of what we wanted that to look like and how he wanted that to look, he didn’t have to sell me too much,” Fowles said of her talk with Sarama. “I think we will get the players in. The basketball part is the easy part. But making sure you teach culture and what that stands for for years to come, I think is very important.”
She added that her experience in both Minnesota (a team with a deep winning culture) and Chicago (which was still a new franchise when she was drafted) will be significant as the Portland Fire get the team together.
Fowles said the transition to coaching should be a smooth one. During her time playing, she was known as a leader and someone who liked to work with young players. Lynx All-Star forward Napheesa Collier has openly praised Fowles for her impact on her career.
Fowles said leadership is something that came naturally from her upbringing.
“I think a lot of that just has to do with how I was raised too, from my mom,” Fowles said. “I’m the youngest sibling, but she always treated me as if I was the oldest. And so I had to make sure we was getting up on time, making sure clothes was ready for school for the week, making sure we was packing the right lunch and not just packing junk.”
‘You put a lot of things in perspective’
While she’s exploring the world of basketball coaching, Fowles also has interest in a different field in her post-playing life. Fowles has been fascinated with embalming and funeral directing since she was very young and has taken classes to get a mortuary science degree.
Fowles said the interest in mortuary science came when she was about 5 or 6 after the death of her grandmother
“Our older siblings thought it was a good idea for us to give her a kiss before they closed the casket to take her to the burial. And I had an allergic reaction, and I thought it was because they did something wrong and not knowing that I had an allergic reaction from the embalming fluid.”
That reaction made Fowles look into the process of embalming.
Combining that with dressing and doing hair for family members, Fowles became fascinated with a field that sometimes raises eyebrows.
“It’s a very humbling experience,” Fowles said. “Some people are like, ‘Are you not grossed out?’ I’m like, you put a lot of things in perspective. That makes me not take things for granted. So I get a different view from the other side as well.