Maya Moore has announced what many women’s basketball fans have come to accept. She’s done. The future Hall-of-Famer has officially notified the WNBA world that she is retiring from playing basketball.
Maya Moore has officially announced her retirement ♥️
— WSLAM (@wslam) January 16, 2023
4x WNBA Champ
2013 Finals MVP
2014 WNBA MVP
6x WNBA All-Star
3x All-Star MVP
2x NCAA Champ
Thank you Maya, for what you’ve done for this game, but more importantly what you’ve done for this world. pic.twitter.com/eyboNiWaYd
The four-time champion stepped away from the WNBA in 2019 to help her eventual husband, Jonathan Irons, win his freedom after his 50-year prison sentence was overturned in 2020. Irons married Moore shortly after his release, and they had their first child, Jonathan Jr., in July.
Moore was noncommittal about playing basketball up until Monday. The former MVP put the thought of seeing her play again to rest when she announced her retirement decision on Good Morning America.
“Well, I think it’s time to put a close to the pro basketball life,” Moore said. “I walked away four seasons ago but wanted to officially retire. This is such a sweet time for us and our family. The work we’ve done. I want to continue that in our next chapter. Be home for my community and family. … That’s what I’m moving into. Hanging it up.”
“I think it is time to put a close to the pro basketball life.”
— Sean Hurd (@seanahurd) January 16, 2023
Maya Moore announces her retirement from the WNBA and professional basketball.
via @GMA pic.twitter.com/k3VrAeNFJe
Moore finished her legendary career as a four-time champion, one-time Finals MVP, former MVP, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and two-time national champion with the Uconn Huskies. Moore can be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame as soon as 2024 because she stopped hooping four years ago. She missed the deadline to be on this year’s ballot by a month.
As a former No. 1 selection, Moore matched the hype from her vaunted high school and college career, averaging 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game during her eight-year career with the Minnesota Lynx.
