BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU Hall of Fame Committee has unanimously approved the retirement of the jersey of all-America women’s basketball player and three-time Olympic gold medalist Sylvia Fowles.
The jersey will be retired by LSU in a ceremony prior to a Lady Tigers’ game during the 2017-18 basketball season in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The No. 34 worn by Fowles will join the No. 33 worn by Seimone Augustus as retired jerseys in the LSU women’s basketball program.
Fowles, a native of Miami, Fla., will become the 12th LSU athlete or coach to have his/her jersey retired, joining Augustus; men’s basketball players Bob Pettit, Pete Maravich, Rudy Macklin and Shaquille O’Neal; football players Billy Cannon and Tommy Casanova; baseball coach Skip Bertman and baseball players Ben McDonald, Eddy Furniss and Todd Walker.
“Sylvia Fowles is a woman of great influence and compassion who has brought worldwide recognition to our university and to our state,” said LSU Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva. “Her impact has been felt not only through her achievements as a basketball player, but also in her philanthropic work for young people. We are thrilled to honor her legacy by retiring her jersey in the Maravich Center.”
Fowles, who was inducted into the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015, was a two-time All-America center at LSU, and she led the Lady Tigers to four consecutive Final Four appearances from 2005 through 2008. She was the 2008 National Defensive Player of the Year and the SEC Player of the Year, and she earned All-SEC honors in each of her final three seasons.
Fowles is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, helping lead Team USA to titles in 2008 at Beijing, in 2012 at London and in 2016 at Rio.
She is the founder of the Sylvia Fowles Family Fund, which supports her extensive work for youth and families both in Baton Rouge and in Miami. She also serves as a spokesperson for CURE: Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy.
Fowles, a 2009 LSU graduate, established school career records for rebounds (1,570), blocked shots (321), free throws made (494) and free throws attempted. She was the first-round draft choice of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky in 2008 and continues to enjoy a magnificent pro career, earning WNBA All-Star status on four occasions.
Fowles was named MVP of the 2015 WNBA Finals, as she led the Minnesota Lynx to the league title. She was also voted the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, 2013 and 2016.