WNBA superstar Maya Moore’s commitment to prison reform comes full circle
Maya Moore is one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all-time.
At Connecticut, she was a 2-time NCAA champion, 4-time All-American and 2-time National Player of the Year. Professionally, she is a 4-time WNBA champion, WNBA Finals MVP, WNBA MVP, and 6-time WNBA All-Star.
However, at the height of her illustrious career, she decided to add another accolade to her incredible resume: freedom fighter.
Moore shocked the basketball world in February 2019 when she announced that she would sit out the 2019 season to help advocate for prison reform.
Hard to overstate how big the news is that Maya Moore is sitting out next season. One of the league’s very biggest stars. Hope she finds what she’s looking for.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) February 5, 2019
She immediately turned her attention to the case of Jonathan Irons, who in 1998, at age 18, was wrongfully convicted for a burglary and shooting at the home of Stanley Stotler in O’Fallon, Missouri.
Irons was only 16 when the crime took place, but was still tried as an adult.
In a recent story for the New York Times, it was revealed that Moore, who was born in nearby Jefferson City, met Irons when she visited the Jefferson Center Correctional Center before her freshman year at UConn.
Moore, now 31, became a strong voice for prosecutorial changes. In early 2019, she stunned the sports world by announcing she would take a timeout from basketball, in part so she could devote more time and energy to helping Irons mount what they thought would be his final appeal. She used her fame to raise awareness and helped fund the hiring of Kent Gipson, a highly regarded defense attorney based in Kansas City, Mo., to handle Irons’s case.
On Wednesday, Moore’s efforts paid off when Irons was released from prison.
WNBA star Maya Moore sat out the entire season last year and helped overturn the conviction of Jonathan Irons, who was serving a 50-year prison sentence.
He was finally released today.
(via @MooreMaya) pic.twitter.com/fUWEEFP1nz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 2, 2020
An emotional Irons thanked Moore, expressing his gratitude and excitement to finally be able to move forward with his life.
“I feel like I can live life now. I’m free. I’m blessed. I just want to live my life worthy of God’s help and influence.”
The Twitter world praised Moore for her dedication to making a difference during a trying time in America.
Maya Moore is even more of a legend off the court than on it. And she’s one of the all time greats on it. Putting a career aside to fight for social justice. Incredible.
— Bryan Behar (@bryanbehar) July 2, 2020
Maya Moore gave up a year of her prime + $$ to make a real difference in the trenches with no eye toward how it benefitted her brand.
— Nathaniel Friedman (@freedarko) July 2, 2020
People need to understand how huge this is. Maya Moore is one of the most decorated basketball players of all time and she halted her career IN HER PRIME to right an injustice. This is just amazing. https://t.co/y51FROlLZP
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 2, 2020
— Cheryl Reeve (@LynxCoachReeve) July 2, 2020
Thursday, on Good Morning America, Moore spoke about the moment she saw Irons walk out of prison.
“In that moment, I really felt like I could rest. I’d been standing, and we’d been standing, for so long; and it was an unplanned moment where I just felt relief. It was kind of a worshipful moment, just dropping to my knees and just being so thankful that we made it.”
#WNBA star @MooreMaya fell to her knees when, after 22 years in prison, Jonathan Irons walked out of Jefferson City Correctional Center a free man on Wednesday. https://t.co/KRsSgrEVWN
— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 2, 2020
It’s unclear if Moore will return to the WNBA soon, but for now – and forever – Moore is officially a champion on and off the court.
