NEW YORK (AP) — Chicago Sky center Sylvia Fowles has been selected the WNBA’s defensive player of the year for the first time.
Fowles received 19 of 40 votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. She edged Indiana’s four-time defensive player of the year Tamika Catchings (18). Connecticut’s Tina Charles and Fowles’ Sky teammate Epiphanny Prince received the remaining votes.
Fowles was second in the league in rebounding at 10.2 per game, including a league-best 7.3 defensive boards. She was also tops with 2.0 blocks per game.
The former LSU star finished third in scoring (22.0), becoming the second player in WNBA history to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in a season — joining Chamique Holdsclaw, who had 20.5 and 10.9, respectively, for Washington in 2003.
