The Minnesota Lynx will honor the greatest player in franchise history, and one of the best the WNBA has ever seen, on Saturday night when they retire Maya Moore’s No. 23. The ceremony will take place prior to their matchup with the Indiana Fever, which is set to tip at 8 p.m. ET.
“We look forward to welcoming Maya back to Target Center to commemorate her prolific career,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who coached Moore for her entire career, said in a press release. “To stand with Maya as her number 23 jersey is hoisted into the Target Center rafters will be incredibly exciting.”
Moore, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft, immediately turned around the fortunes of a franchise that, prior to her arrival, had not won a playoff series in over a decade of existence. In her first season, Moore won Rookie of the Year and helped the Lynx win their first title. She never looked back.
In just eight total seasons, Moore put together one of the most complete WNBA careers of all time:
- Four championships
- Six Finals appearances
- One MVP
- One Finals MVP
- One Rookie of the Year
- Six All-Star Games
- Three All-Star Game MVPs
- One scoring title
- Five All-WNBA First Teams, two All-WNBA Second Teams
- Two All-Defensive Second Teams
She was also named to the WNBA’s 20th annivesary team in 2016 and 25th anniversary team in 2021. Along with her WNBA success, she also helped Team USA win gold medals during the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
In the middle of her prime, Moore made a stunning decision to step away from the game of basketball prior to the 2019 season in order to focus on her family and advocating for criminal justice reform. She never played again, and officially announced her retirement in 2023.
“I am so excited to be able to come back to connect, celebrate and remember so many of the special memories I was able to be a part of with this Lynx family,” Moore said. “I’m still so amazed at what we were able to accomplish as a group and even more amazed at how well we did it together.”
