NEW YORK – Sylvia Fowles of the Minnesota Lynx has been named the 2016 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Samsung, the WNBA announced today.  The 6-6 center earned the honor for the third time in her nine-year career, joining forward Tamika Catchings (five) and guard/forward Sheryl Swoopes (three) as the only players to win the award at least three times.

Fowles, the first WNBA Defensive Player of the Year in Lynx history, received 19 votes from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters.  Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart finished second with eight votes.  Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike came in third with four votes, followed by Sparks guard/forward Alana Beard and Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner with three votes each.  The Indiana Fever’s Catchings and Chicago Sky forward Elena Delle Donne received one vote apiece.

Fowles, the 2015 WNBA Finals MVP, started all 34 of Minnesota’s regular-season games and ranked fifth in the league in defensive rebounds with 6.1 per game.  She also placed fourth in the WNBA in blocks (1.8 bpg) and 11^th in steals (1.3 spg).  Behind Fowles, the Lynx led the WNBA in defensive rating (96.4) and ranked second in opponents’ field goal percentage (41.7) and points allowed (77.0 ppg).

On Sept. 4, the three-time All-Star tied a career high with five steals in a 93-79 home win against the Connecticut Sun.  Fowles also recorded a season-best 14 rebounds in a 98-97 overtime victory at the Dallas Wings on July 17.  Three days later, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm tallied a season-high five blocks in an 83-65 victory against the visiting Atlanta Dream.  She averaged 6.4 defensive rebounds and 2.8 blocks during July, when Minnesota was a league-best 8-1.

Also this season, Fowles averaged 13.9 points and ranked fourth in the WNBA in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and field goal percentage (.595).  Her contributions on both ends of the court helped the Lynx (28-6) register a franchise record for victories and earn a double bye as the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Verizon.

Fowles and the Lynx will play Game 2 of their WNBA Semifinals series against the Phoenix Mercury tonight at the Target Center (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2).  Minnesota leads the series, 1-0.

This marks the third season that Samsung, an official WNBA marketing partner, is serving as the presenting partner of the WNBA’s highest individual honors.  The WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, WNBA Most Valuable Player, WNBA Most Improved Player, WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, WNBA Rookie of the Year and the WNBA Players of the Month and Rookie of the Month awards are a part of the WNBA Performance Awards presented by Samsung program.

In honor of being named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Samsung, Fowles will receive $5,000 and a specially designed trophy from Tiffany & Co.

Below are the voting results for the 2016 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by Samsung and a list of past recipients:

2016 WNBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS

ALL-TIME WNBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), is a recognized innovative leader in consumer electronics, mobile devices and enterprise solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA is pushing beyond the limits of today’s technology and providing consumers and organizations with a portfolio of groundbreaking products in appliances, home entertainment, Internet of Things, mobile computing, smartphones, virtual reality, wireless infrastructure and wearables, in addition to offering leading content and services related to mobile payments, 360-degree VR video, customer support and more. Samsung is a pioneering leader in smartphones and HDTVs in the U.S. and one of America’s fastest growing home appliance brands. To discover more about Samsung, please visit www.samsung.com. For the latest Samsung news, please visit news.samsung.com/us and follow us @SamsungNewsUS.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.

About the WNBA
The WNBA, which features 12 teams, is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity.  The league, which counts Verizon as its leaguewide marquee partner, concluded its 20^th regular season on Sept. 18, 2016.

Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education.  For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.