How the Lynx rebuilt their roster for a WNBA title run - ESPN

Sylvia Fowles went out in style. In her final WNBA game two years ago, the Minnesota Lynx center grabbed her 4,000th rebound and notched her 193rd career double-double. Even the opposing fans in Connecticut rose for a standing ovation.

But as Fowles said goodbye to the league, the Lynx ushered in a new era.

Coach Cheryl Reeve battled her emotions as she took it all in. Fowles was the last of the core stars from Minnesota's dynasty years, when the Lynx won four titles in six WNBA Finals appearances from 2011 to 2017.

Reeve had hoped to send Fowles out with one final postseason appearance. But on that August night in 2022, the Lynx capped a 14-22 regular season. Minnesota, with young standout Napheesa Collier sitting out most of the year on maternity leave, missed the playoffs and had a losing record for the first time since 2010, Reeve's first season with the team.

Questions surrounded the Lynx. How would they reload? What did the future hold? How long would it take for the franchise to return to the top?

In 2024, a season when much of the focus was on how quickly the rookie class would make an impact and whether the Las Vegas Aces could repeat, Minnesota slowly emerged as a title contender. The best team since the league resumed after the Paris Olympics, the Lynx trailed only the New York Liberty in the final standings and entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed.

Entering Wednesday's Game 3 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) of the WNBA Finals, Minnesota is tied 1-1 with New York and hosts the next two games of the best-of-five series at Target Center. At 30-10, the Lynx exceeded most preseason projections and could be on the cusp of the franchise's fifth title, which would be the most by a WNBA franchise.

«We felt like after last season