Sports

Newly Married Maya Moore Not Ready To Return To WNBA

March 10, 2021 / 1:02 PM CST / CBS Minnesota

NEW YORK (AP) — Basketball star Maya Moore, recently wed to the man she helped free from a wrongful imprisonment, is not ready to return to the WNBA.

Moore said Wednesday during an interview with husband Jonathan Irons on ABC's "Good Morning America" that she remains focused for now on their marriage and activism for criminal justice reform. The 31-year-old Moore has not played for the Minnesota Lynx since the 2018 season.

"This journey has been quite wild, so I'm still trying to take that time to really get settled," Moore said. "We just got married, so I'm still planning on taking some rest and really just leaning in to this season of enjoying Jonathan and having this full year."

Moore, a two-time Olympian who won four WNBA titles with the Lynx after starring in college at UConn, put her career on hold in 2019 for other callings. She displayed a particular passion for the case of Irons, who was sentenced as a teenager to 50 years in prison on burglary and assault charges for a 1997 home invasion in the St. Louis area he maintained he was falsely accused of.

Last year, a judge ruled that Irons' defense provided enough evidence to prove his wrongful conviction. The friendship that developed through Moore's frequent visits to the prison led to marriage after Irons, who is now 41, was released.

Irons filed a lawsuit Tuesday against St. Charles County law enforcement authorities for their role in the case.