January 15, 2023, Seimone Augustus became the first female student-athlete in LSU history to get a statue outside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at LSU. Now, three years later, the university has announced that the 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Sylvia Fowles became the second female student-athlete to get that honor, and one of Fowles’ biggest on-court rivals is hyped.

“Yassssssssssssssssss.”

Parker wrote in the comments of the clip LSU Women’s basketball uploaded of the moment the Tigers’ head coach, Kim Mulkey, revealed the news to Fowles during a video meeting.

As two of the most dominant centers in WNBA history, Candace Parker and Sylvia Fowles helped reshape the modern women’s game through a shared history of battles and partnerships that dates back to their youth basketball days.

Their iconic on-court rivalry first came to light during their SEC & NCAA Tournament showdowns, where Parker represented Tennessee. That rivalry continued in the WNBA. The LA Sparks selected Parker No. 1 at the 2008 Draft and the Chicago Sky picked up Fowles as No. 2.

Their WNBA rivalry peaked in 2016 when Parker secured her first WNBA championship with the Sparks against Fowles Minnesota Lynx.

Augustus, who now helps coach Mulkey as an assistant coach at LSU, also shared the court with Fowles and Parker. They’ve stood on the international podium with three gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic squads, standing together in 2008 and 2012.

Fowles now joins Bob Pettit, Shaquille O’Neal, Pete Maravich, and Simone Augustus as the only basketball players with statues at LSU. Reacting to the honor, Fowles got emotional while expressing her gratitude.

“It is such a privilege and an honor. I definitely will not take this for granted. It says a lot to be recognized for all my hard work,” said Fowles as she got visibly emotional.

“I would not appreciate it the way that I do if it was not on LSU’s campus. Thank you to the people who made this happen. My mom’s going to be very excited about this.”

However, the two-time WNBA champion wasn’t the only one who was grateful for LSU honoring her with the announcement. Kim Mulkey believed that Fowles has earned that honor, and so did LSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Verge Ausberry.

“Sylvia Fowles is one of the greatest players, not only at LSU, but in the history of our game. She is one of the most significant ambassadors that this university has, and what she did for this program and LSU deserves to be recognized permanently.”

“I am proud that we can honor Sylvia with a statue on campus, giving our fans a lasting symbol that celebrates her remarkable legacy. Sylvia has been the ultimate representation of LSU and this athletics department at the highest level. And I am thrilled to see one of our most iconic athletes be immortalized forever.”

And there’s good reason why everyone at LSU and even Candace Parker are so excited for the 40-year-old.

This Achievement Caps Off A Stellar Basketball Career For Sylvia Fowles

During her collegiate tenure, Fowles anchored LSU to four consecutive Final Four appearances, from 2004-08—a staggering, unprecedented run punctuated by the dominant center earning All-American honors in each of her final three seasons in Baton Rouge.

In 2008, Fowles swept SEC Player of the Year and National Defensive Player of the Year honors. Her dominance remains etched across the Lady Tigers’ record book, where she stands as LSU’s all-time leader in total rebounds (1,570), offensive boards (521), blocked shots (321), true shooting percentage (59.4%), free-throw attempts (822), and games played (144).

Fowles, a Miami native, now stands among an elite group of just eight LSU players and coaches enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, having been inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame in 2015.

Two years later, in 2017, LSU raised her No. 34 jersey to the rafters of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, placing her alongside Augustus as one of the only women’s basketball players to receive the honor in program history.

Fowles successful college career paved the way for her success in the WNBA in the following years, where she put together a decorated 16-year career split between Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx.

Following her arrival in Minnesota in 2015, Fowles powered the Lynx to WNBA titles in 2015 and 2017, claiming Finals MVP honors in both championship runs. She swept regular-season MVP honors during that dominant 2017 campaign and cemented her status as an all-time great rim protector by collecting four Defensive Player of the Year awards (2011, 2013, 2016, and 2021).

Fowles had her No. 34 jersey permanently raised in the Target Center rafters in Minnesota, retiring as the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder and first in career field goal percentage.

On the global stage, Fowles was a cornerstone of USA Basketball’s dominance, capturing eight gold medals across international competitions—highlighted by a flawless run of four consecutive Olympic golds from 2008 through 2020.

Fowles took the next step in her basketball journey in December, joining the Portland Fire coaching staff as an assistant under head coach Alex Sarama.

The date and time of her statue unveiling will be revealed later.