4-time WNBA champ Moore retires

Maya Moore knew it was time to officially end her basketball career — four years after stepping away. The Lynx star left the WNBA in 2019 to help her now-husband Jonathan Irons win his release from prison by getting his 50-year sentence overturned in 2020. Irons married Moore soon after his release and the couple had their first child, Jonathan Jr., in February. She announced her decision to retire Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” The 33-year-old Moore won four WNBA championships with the Lynx, two Olympic gold medals with USA Basketball and two NCAA titles with UConn. She will be eligible for the Naismith Hall of Fame next year since she stopped playing four years ago, one of the rare athletes to leave their sport in the prime of their career. Moore was drafted No. 1 by the Lynx in 2011, winning the rookie of the year award and going on to average 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals over eight seasons. She was the league’s MVP in 2014 and the only player in WNBA history with four 40-plus point games.