In 2010, the Minnesota Lynx were coming off a WNBA season led by first-year head coach Cheryl Reeve where they failed to reach the postseason for the sixth straight year and were looking to turn the page with hopes of better days ahead.
The disappointment of that 2010 season resulted in the Lynx landing the first overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft, a selection they hoped would change the trajectory of the franchise. With that pick, Minnesota selected one of the greatest basketball players in women’s college basketball, Maya Moore, out of the University of Connecticut.
From day one as a Lynx, Moore hit the ground running and quickly became the face of the franchise alongside the likes of Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson. And not only did Moore help change the trajectory of the franchise, but she grew her legacy even more in the WNBA while leading Minnesota to what would be one of the best dynasty stretches in league history.
Entering the WNBA in 2011, Moore spent the next eight years with Minnesota, sporting the same No. 23 Lynx jersey that went into the rafters at Target Center in Minneapolis on Aug. 24 as part of her jersey retirement ceremony. And though her career ended shorter than some might have liked, she will forever go down as one of the greatest players this game has ever seen.
“There were times where she was just completely unstoppable,” Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi said during a video shown during Moore’s jersey retirement ceremony. “Her strength, her movement, the way she shot the ball, how competitive she was, how much she wanted to win. Just truly one of the ultimate winners in our game, or any sport.”
A Winner
What Moore was able to accomplish in eight seasons in the WNBA, those accolades and successes speak for themselves.
From day one, Moore led Minnesota the moment she stepped on the hardwood. As a member of the Lynx, Moore won four WNBA championships while being named 2011 Rookie of the Year, 2013 WNBA Finals MVP and 2014 WNBA MVP. She also earned six All-Star selections and was named All-WNBA First Team five times, All-WNBA Second Team twice and All-WNBA Defensive Second Team twice.
“She’s one of one. I don’t think that you can find somebody that [did]the things that Maya did or will do the things Maya did,” Moore’s former Lynx teammate Sylvia Fowles said. “You can find someone that can be a replica, but not quite Maya.”
moments that we’ll remember forever. 💙 pic.twitter.com/gudBrN5v1S
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) August 25, 2024
By the end of her career, Moore finished atop the Lynx and WNBA all-time leaderboards, still holding franchise records in steals and three-point field goals, concluding her time in the league with 4,984 points, 1,589 rebounds, 896 assists, 176 blocks and 31 double-doubles across 271 games.
“She came, she conquered, she left. Literally, that’s how it was,” Former Lynx Seimone Augustus said. “She was the ultimate winner, her resume shows.”
Moore made an impact on a global stage as well, not only representing the Jordan Brand but being part of two Olympic gold medal teams in 2012 and 2016 with Team USA and two FIBA World Cup gold medal teams in 2010 and 2014.
“She was one of the best to ever pick up a basketball,” Former Lynx player and current assistant coach Rebekkah Brunson said. “One of the best competitors that basketball has ever seen and probably will ever see.”
Maya Moore achieved ALL of this and more in just EIGHT seasons in the WNBA 🤯 pic.twitter.com/U7vgNnEX0Y
— espnW (@espnW) August 24, 2024
At every level, Moore was a winner on the court. From high school, to college, to the WNBA, to overseas play, the Olympic Games and more. Her resume makes her one of the best to ever play the game, man or woman, but that is only part of what makes Moore so legendary. “We’re not a Lynx dynasty without Maya Moore,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Maya is one of the greatest, literally of one or two players, in the history of the league. Her legacy is that she left on her terms. She didn’t feel this pressure to play to make her great. Maya had things in life she wanted to do. Her legacy is that she went and did them.”
An Inspiration
Throughout her basketball career, Moore became an inspiration to many. Not just for young girls looking up to her with the hopes of one day reaching her level, but for everyone who idolized her for what she did both on and off the court.
“Seeing her on TV, seeing someone who I knew that was from my hometown, it was so inspiring,” said Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who is from the same hometown of Jefferson City, Missouri as Moore. “On top of that, she was such an amazing player. She was still the best, even in college. Then she became even better when she became pro. Having that person to look up to, it made you think that ‘I can do that too,’ It’s really cool to see someone have that blueprint and someone you can look up to in that way.”
Her entire life, Moore has been dedicated to giving back to others. Her reach and impact stretch far beyond the game of basketball with her involvement and activism off the court.
had a profound impact on and off the court. 💙 pic.twitter.com/USbFE4dzFf
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) August 20, 2024
Moore’s impact was profoundly felt near and far, from her community involvement in Minnesota to her criminal justice work that ultimately led her to step away from the game after the 2018 season. As lengthy of a list of Moore’s accomplishments on the court, she was an even bigger winner off of it, now leading a non-profit, Win With Justice, alongside her husband Jonathon Irons, a man she helped free from prison after serving 23 years for a crime he didn’t commit.
“Her legacy is what it’s always been. A great player who always plays to the maximum ability on the court, and an amazing human off the court,” Moore’s former Lynx teammate Taj McWilliams-Franklin said. “What she did off the court has an impacts on generations that are going to come after her. They know that they can be an activist and a player.”
From mom’s wisdom to @minnesotalynx legacy 💐
Maya Moore Irons’ credits her mother, Kathryn Moore, for planting seeds of greatness
High expectations at home bloomed into a Lynx dynasty 🔥 pic.twitter.com/O1PuwN9qfD
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 25, 2024
Moore was an incredible winner both on and off the court, and she became an even bigger inspiration to many. When Minnesota drafted her in 2011 and hoped it found a generational talent, the Lynx found that and then some with Moore. But what they didn’t know was the type of human they were getting, one who ended up changing the Lynx, the WNBA, women’s basketball, and every person she came in contact with for the better.
“Maya elevated the game that no one has been close to,” Taurasi said. “She took the game to different heights, inspiring millions of little girls to watch the WNBA, to like the WNBA, to want to play in the WNBA. Truly a legend, and she’s missed.”
