One of the WNBA’s most storied athlete’s careers has come to an end. Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx announced today (Jan. 16) that she’s officially retiring from professional basketball.
The former star player broke the news on “Good Morning America,” along with her husband, Jonathan Irons, who she helped to release from jail in 2020 by assisting with his 50-year wrongful conviction sentence. Irons served 23 1/2 years behind bars. “I think it is time to put a close to the pro basketball life, she said. “I walked away four seasons ago, but I wanted to officially retire. This is such a sweet time for us and our family and the work that we’ve done. I want to continue that in this next chapter. I want to continue to be present at home, for our community, and also doing work with our nonprofit… hangin’ it up.”
Moore, 33, has been off the court since she devoted her time to social justice four years ago. In her illustrious career, she won four WNBA championships with the Minnesota Lynx, two Olympic gold medals with USA Basketball and two NCAA titles with UConn.
Moore stepped away from the game during the peak of her career and will be eligible for the Naismith Hall of Fame next year. In eight years of playing for the Lynx, the 2011 No. 1 draft pick finished as the Rookie of the Year and averaged 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals for her career. She was the league’s MVP in 2014.
According to ESPN, she is the franchise’s leader in scoring averages, 3-point field goals made (530) and steals (449). She finished second in total points scored (4,984), field goals made (1,782), assists (896) and blocks (176). “On behalf of the Minnesota Lynx organization, I want to congratulate Maya on an incredible basketball career,” team coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve said. “We will always cherish her time in a Lynx uniform and we wish her the best as she continues to pursue this next chapter of her life,” she continued.