Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles Both Dominated the WNBA, but Only One Scored With Brands

The newly retired icons talk about their divergent paths and the sport’s ‘frustrating’ disparity

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Nine combined Olympic gold medals. Six WNBA championships. Twenty-one All-Star appearances. One WNBA MVP. Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles, two of the most decorated and prolific basketball players in WNBA history—and both among Adweek’s 2022 Most Powerful Women in Sports honorees—each said goodbye to their professional careers a few months ago, choosing to retire at the top of their respective games.

“What makes myself and Syl interesting right now is we’re really one of the first crop of players that have had these lengthy, lengthy careers,” said Bird, noting the WNBA is only in its 26th season.

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This story first appeared in the Nov. 14, 2022, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.