Maya Moore: From Basketball Greatness to Social Justice Trailblazer

In 2017, Maya Moore was named Sports Illustrated’s Performer of the Year, with the magazine calling her the “greatest winner in the history of women’s basketball.” 

That title was well-earned. Moore’s dominance on the court was evident from the very beginning. She racked up top honors in high school, earning National Gatorade Player of the Year, Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, and McDonald’s All-American titles.

She took her game to the next level at UConn, playing forward for the Huskies and leading them to back-to-back national championships in 2009 and 2010.

Her award-winning college play was far from over. Moore won the John Wooden Award in 2009 after spearheading Connecticut’s undefeated championship run. She didn’t stop there. She guided UConn to another title the following season, extending their unbeaten streak to 78 games. By the 2010–11 season, Moore helped push that streak to an astonishing 90 games—an NCAA record across all divisions and genders.

Her success wasn’t just about wins; she made history off the court, becoming the first female basketball player to sign with Air Jordan. By the end of the 2017 season, her overall record in the U.S. since high school stood at a jaw-dropping 497–78—a testament to her legacy as one of the greatest winners in the sport.

Her transition to the professional WNBA world was highly anticipated. She was selected first overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2011 draft.

Her rookie year was bound to elevate her play as she ran the floor alongside established WNBA greats like Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, and Lindsay Whalen. Her success as a professional is longer than a CVS receipt.

She burst onto the scene in 2011, winning Rookie of the Year, and only got better from there. She captured four WNBA championships (2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017) with the Minnesota Lynx, earning Finals MVP honors in 2013. Her dominance was undeniable, securing the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2014 and a WNBA scoring title that same year.

Moore wasn’t just a clutch performer in the playoffs—she also repeatedly shined on the big stage. She took home three WNBA All-Star Game MVP awards (2015, 2017, 2018) and was named to six All-Star teams and seven All-WNBA teams.

Her 2018 All-Star appearance would be her last. Not because she didn’t have plenty left in the tank — but because she decided to change her path. 

In 2017, Moore started Win With Justice to advocate for prosecutorial reform. She could have easily stayed in the league and completed 

her advocacy work on the side, but she felt reform needed her full attention.

After meeting Jonathan Irons, a man serving a 50-year sentence after being convicted in 1998 of burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, Moore took a hard look at his case. She found that there was no corroborating evidence tying Irons to the crime.

Instead, prosecutors claimed Irons had confessed, and he was ultimately found guilty by an all-white jury. This led Moore to do something no other athlete had done before—walk away from their sport to focus on social justice.

Moore didn’t just step away—she left at her peak. The sacrifice paid off. After serving 23 years in prison, Irons was released on July 1, 2020, thanks to the relentless work of Moore and a team of attorneys. The couple got engaged the next day and were married later that month.

In 2023, Moore and her husband officially founded Win With Justice. In 2022, they welcomed a son. Moore, who spent her entire career in Minnesota, had her Lynx jersey retired on August 24, 2024, after the Lynx defeated the Indiana Fever.

For fans wondering if she’ll ever consider a comeback—don’t count on it.

Moore is clearly happy in her new role as an advocate, mother, and wife, telling ESPN, “The journey that I had was not expected, but it was exactly the journey that I was supposed to go on.”