Maya Moore
(Born 1989)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2025
Card Shown:
2017 Rittenhouse WNBA
Position: F
Height: 6’0″
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Maya Moore only played eight years in the WNBA, but she won four championships and numerous awards during her relatively brief professional career. After the 2018 season, Maya stepped away from professional basketball to focus her time and energy on her family and ministry dreams. She also spent time focusing on social justice issues and fighting for the release of inmate Jonathan Irons, a man that she felt had been wrongfully convicted. Irons was freed in 2020 and later became Moore’s husband. Although initially Maya had left the door open for a return to the WNBA, she officially announced her retirement in January 2023.
Awards and Honors
- Moore led the University of Connecticut (UConn) to two national championships in 2009 and 2010. She was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 2010.
- Drafted as the first overall pick by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2011 WNBA Draft, Maya also won the 2011 Rookie of the Year Award.
- Maya led the Lynx to four WNBA championships, winning the title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Moore was the Finals Most Valuable Player in 2013. Fellow Naismith Hall of Famers Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen joined her in winning all four titles while Hall of Famer Sylvia Fowles was a part of the final two championships.
- Maya was the 2014 WNBA Most Valuable Player. In her eight seasons in the league, she finished 13th (rookie year), 4th, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th, and 9th in the MVP voting. These voting results highlight Moore’s consistent performance as one of the top players in the league throughout her career.
- Moore won two Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. She also won two FIBA World Championship gold medals in 2010 and 2014.
Points of Interest
- Connecticut had a record of 150 wins and only 4 losses during Moore’s four years at the university. This included a ninety-game win streak across three seasons.
- Maya retired as the all-time leading scorer in WNBA Finals history with 441 points.
- On August 24, 2024 the Minnesota Lynx retired Moore’s number 23 jersey. Maya became the fifth Lynx player to be so honored, following Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson, Seimone Augustus, and Sylvia Fowles.
- The ESPN film series 30 for 30 “Breakaway” chronicled the story of Maya Moore leaving the WNBA to fight for the freedom of the wrongly imprisoned Jonathan Irons.
- Maya finished her WNBA career with averages of 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. She also shot 38.4% on three-pointers during her career.
Statistics
Maya Moore Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com