The Minnesota Lynx honored the greatest player in franchise history, and one of the best the WNBA has ever seen, on Saturday night when they retired Maya Moore’s No. 23. The ceremony took place after the team beat the Indiana Fever, 90-80, to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
“I think about how Napheesa [Collier] and I are from a small town in the middle of Missouri with not a lot of apparent opportunity,” Moore said after her jersey was raised to the rafters. “People weren’t expecting much out of us, but you have moms like Kathryn Moore who have vision and have a greater vision and say ‘no, the expectations aren’t here, the expectations are so much higher.”
“That’s what we did on the Lynx. Some people might have thought ‘oh, the expectations, WNBA team up in Minnesota.’ We said, well, let’s show you what a group of people, but particularly for the WNBA, a group of women, can do when they take all of themselves and bring it too each other every day. We take that and we bring it and we give it to all of you guys every day. And you guys show up for us and give it right back. That’s why we’re here right now, to remember how good that felt.”
Moore, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft, immediately turned around the fortunes of a franchise that, prior to her arrival, had not won a playoff series in over a decade of existence. In her first season, Moore won Rookie of the Year and helped the Lynx win their first title. She never looked back.
In just eight total seasons, Moore put together one of the most complete WNBA careers of all time:
Four championshipsSix Finals appearancesOne MVP One Finals MVP One Rookie of the YearSix All-Star GamesThree All-Star Game MVPsOne scoring titleFive All-WNBA First Teams, two All-WNBA Second TeamsTwo All-Defensive Second Teams
She was also named to the WNBA’s 20th anniversary team in 2016 and 25th anniversary team in 2021. Along with her WNBA success, she also helped Team USA win gold medals during the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
On Saturday, a number of Moore’s former teammates were in attendance to celebrate her legendary career. “You brought the best out of all of us, that’s how special you are,” said Rebekkah Brunson, one of a number of speakers who testified to Moore’s greatness. Of course, there was time for jokes as well, and Sylvia Fowles made fun of Moore’s lack of speed. “Maya was definitely one who moved at her own pace,” Fowles said. “Which was slow… You’re not rushing Maya to do nothing.”
In the middle of her prime, Moore made a stunning decision to step away from the game of basketball prior to the 2019 season in order to focus on her family and advocating for criminal justice reform. She never played again, and officially announced her retirement in 2023.
“I am so excited to be able to come back to connect, celebrate and remember so many of the special memories I was able to be a part of with this Lynx family,” Moore said. “I’m still so amazed at what we were able to accomplish as a group and even more amazed at how well we did it together.”
