WNBA Star Maya Moore Reveals If She'll Return for 2021 Season

Maya Moore has made a decision on returning to the WNBA this year. The 31-year-old star player gave an update on her basketball career on Good Morning America and said she will not return for the upcoming season. Moore last played in the WNBA during the 2018 season before announcing she would be taking some time away from basketball to focus on family and "ministry dreams that have been stirring in my heart for many years."

Last summer Moore married Jonathan Irons, a man she helped get released from prison after being convicted of burglary and assault with a deadly weapon in 1998 when he was 16 years old. In March 2020, a judge ruled prosecutors had suppressed evidence that would have helped Irons' defense. He was released from prison on July 1.

"This journey has been quite wild, so I'm still trying to take that time to really get settled," Moore said, as reported by ESPN. "We just got married. I'm still planning on taking some rest and really just leaning into this season of enjoying Jonathan and having this full year." Back in September, Moore went on Good Morning America and announced she was married. She also talked about how the two met.

"We wanted to announce today that were are super excited to continue the work that we've been doing together, but doing it as a married couple," Moore said. "We got married a couple months ago and we're excited to just continue this new chapter of life together." Irons was sentenced to 50 years in prison after being convicted of breaking into a Missouri home and shooting the homeowner twice.

Earlier this week, Irons filed a civil lawsuit against the authorities who were in charge of the case. "I am not the only person that this has happened to," Irons said. "This lawsuit is about publicly exposing what has happened to me, sharing the truth and creating public awareness. And hopefully creating a deterrent to stop this from happening to someone else."

Moore was drafted No. 1 overall by the Minnesota Lynx in 2011. She became one of the best players in WNBA history, leading the Lynx to four WNBA Championships and selected to the WNBA All-Star game six times. Moore is a five-time All-WNBA First Team selection, a WNBA MVP (2014) and a WNBA Finals MVP (2013).