Welcome to both of you. Then she got up and embraced him, a free man for the first time in over 23 years . While today culminates Mayas basketball career, there is no doubt she will continue to impact the game we all love. He was released last July and married Moore a few weeks later. Can I ask - I mean, you're only 33. He had cerebral palsy, and he was training for London (2012 Paralympics), which was coming up that summer. JONATHAN IRONS: Hello. A Warner Bros. We are more than athletes. "She's still got it. Well, I think its time to put a close to the pro basketball life, Moore said. Moore is also considering retiring or seeking out a trade, though a decision has yet to be made at this point. She was the leagues MVP in 2014 as well as winning Rookie of the Year. After gaining his release, Irons married Moore soon after and the couple had their first child, Jonathan Jr., in July. I want to continue that in our next chapter. And I think thats always what youre chasing after: How can I get more? WNBA star Maya Moore announced that she has officially retired from basketball in an interview on "Good Morning America" on Monday. Access is still a really big issue, and just because Im an athlete with a disability doesnt mean everythings solved. After a successful inaugural season in 2022, the second season commences in February with a total of 39 players having joined the roster, 17 of those who have WNBA experience. Moore announced Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America" that she has retired from professional basketball. And during your sophomore year, you discover adaptive sports namely swimming. In 2011, Cooper-Dyke was voted by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. I've been able to rest, and connect with people around me, actually be in their presence after all of these years on the road." A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining listicles, Maya Moore: The WNBA legend who gave up basketball to fight for justice. You could say that Maya Moore, 31, and Jonathan Irons, 40, found love in a hopeless place. Breanna Stewart says Maya Moore . I didnt know the full extent of what adaptive sports meant. I'm not thinking about that at all right now, she said. Moore said Wednesday in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" that she won't resume her WNBA career during the 2021 season, Katie Barnes of ESPN.com reports. Just months later, Moore announced her marriage to Irons after the two fell in love during his time in prison. I think theres always something more that you want to do. See below for full information on how to watch, schedule and tune-in times for the 2023 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. And afterwards, they had track practice, and they invited me to come to that. MAYA MOORE: Thank you. Gretsch: I think a lot of people, if they grew up with a disability, they feel like they dont belong when theyre a kid or maybe they were bullied. While playing basketball, the WNBA star collected roughly $58,500 annually, as reported by Spotrac . I dont know why, if it was my parents are what, but I just never felt that. I also kind of joke sometimes that Im like not quite good enough at one thing but I can just be decent at a lot of different things and put it together into something. On July 2nd 2020, Missouri judge Daniel Green vacated Irons' conviction, stating there were numerous problems with the 1998 case and described it as "very weak and circumstantial at best.". The story is unfolding still. WNBA legend Maya Moore is hanging up her jersey. It was a dream come true for me to play basketball at the highest level and help build the foundation for womens basketball. Having it televised is very nice. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "I'm not thinking about that at all right now," she said. And then [U.S. teammate] Oksana [Masters] is injured this year. That's what we've been doing. The story is unfolding still. Former WNBA star Maya Moore and husband Jonathan Irons revealed that they extended their family by welcoming a baby boy, Jonathan Jr., in February, the couple announced on "Good Morning. We have hearts and lives. I will forever be grateful for Glen Taylor, Coach Reeve and the Lynx community for all of the support and am excited to continue this next chapter in my life.. Our performance, what is going on. She made a trick shot from her mama's bedroom to the goal. Irons was only able to watch Moore on TV when she was dominating women's basketball at UConn and then with the Minnesota Lynx while he was in jail serving a 50-year sentence for a crime that Moore and her extended family helped get overturned. Add some good to your morning and evening. But theres this whole other side, too, where there needs to be more visibility and more understanding about our world and our lived experience. The Minnesota Lynx great stepped away from the . I feel like its getting portrayed as like, That was the most successful [worlds] that youve ever had, and I just feel differently about that. "I'm in a really good place right now with my life, and I don't want to change anything," Moore said in a telephone interview. Moore could still return to the WNBA as soon as 2022 if she wanted to, but it's becoming increasingly likely that it wouldn't be in Minnesota if she did. Irons, who filed a civil suit against the St. Charles County law enforcement authorities who his attorney says framed him, has taken advantage of his freedom over the last year. Gretsch: I think its funny, because I do like the challenge of it. Updated By Minyvonne Burke. I feel like everyone made a really big deal about worlds this year, but for me, I just went there and did what I expected. He was released last July and married Moore a few weeks later. Black women who blazed trails of activism. Thinking about triathlon, I feel like so much more potential that I have. I think all of us look at the adaptive equipment that we use to compete, and that really is what allows us to compete. Her staunch advocacy for change to the criminal justice system through her Win With Justice project elevated her impact to new heights, and her work has and will continue to inspire her fans around the world. Theyre also winning. So that was cool for me to find. NEW YORK (AP) Maya Moore knew it was time to officially end her basketball career four years after stepping away. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much All Rights Reserved. Moore helped lead the Minnesota Lynx in one of the first athlete protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. M.V.P., is reveling in married life and continuing a fight for criminal justice reform alongside Jonathan Irons, whom she married after helping him win his release from. Instagram. What did that mean to win that gold medal? Maya Moore, who stepped away from a thriving WNBA career to help free a man she felt was unjustly imprisoned, formally confirmed her retirement from the sport Monday. She was the 2013 WNBA Finals MVP, the 2014 WNBA MVP, and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Moore was one of the rare athletes to leave their sport in the prime of their career. Maya Moore might be mum on her return to basketball, but according to husband Jonathan Irons, the 2014 league MVP still "got it." "I see her all the time. The Minnesota Lynx great stepped away from the WNBA in 2019 to help her now-husband Jonathan Irons win his release from jail by getting his50-year sentence overturnedin 2020. "So I'm still trying to be so present in this second year away from the game," the Missouri native told Roberts. After the surgery, I really leaned in heavy to physical therapy, and that was something where you just didnt know how much [function]you were going to get back. When I saw that, I was like, Oh, okay he looks like me, and hes doing it competitively. So thats when I thought, I should really try to get back into swimming and see if I can do something competitively. Had she recorded a triple-double, it would have marked the first of her season. She immediately made an impact when she got to the league. Irons said he has appreciated the little things people take for granted since his release on July 1, 2020. With five years of experience, Georgia has previously worked for Yahoo! Gretsch: My approach used to be, year-round, that Im going to try to be the best Nordic skier I can be and the best triathlete, kind of at the detriment of both. The couple went to California and has also visited the Grand Canyon. We are people. This is where we're at right now, living in the present.". And someone at the adaptive sports organization in St. Louis said theres this adaptive skiing program in Madison that I should check out. Maya Moore continued her stellar play in her sophomore year, where she averaged 21.0 points per game, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. Her estimated salary is $60K. This Q&A has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity. Moore first hinted in mid-January that she was considering sitting out this year, and she made her decision public Tuesday. The Minnesota Lynx star stepped away from the WNBA in 2019 to help her now-husband Jonathan Irons win his release from. Gretsch: I think that just made it so much more special, that I had to wait for it. Maya Moore (@MooreMaya) December 22, 2022 Yet throughout her collegiate and professional career, Moore would visit Irons, sending him letters and books. Both of my older sisters played the clarinet, so I was like, Okay, Im gonna play the clarinet. We all played softball growing up that was a really big thing in my town. 2:14. After he was released, Irons visited the home where he grew up with his grandmother and also visited her gravesite. All rights reserved. She's still got it. Gretsch walks with crutches and competes with the help of more complex adaptive equipment, such as a sit-ski for Nordic and biathlon events and a racing wheelchair and handcycle for paratriathlon. The documentary shows footage of Moore and Irons during their journey the last few years as she tried to help him get his conviction overturned. Georgia is a Senior Writer for GiveMeSport, reporting on the worlds phenomenal female athletes. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Not only is she regarded as one of the best players of all time and dubbed by Sports Illustrated as the greatest winner in the history of women's basketball but she will be known around the world for her activism. After welcoming her first child in July 2022, Moore isn't leaving the door open to resume her decorated career and will instead continue the next chapter of her life. 2023 Cable News Network. Maya Moore was the No. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. WNBA star Maya Moore and husband Jonathan Irons, whom she helped free from prison after he was wrongfully convicted, welcomed a baby boy in February, the couple revealed to Good Morning. Try to get back into swimming and see if I can do something competitively after gaining his,! 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