In celebration of her jersey retirement by the Minnesota Lynx, WNBA legend Maya Moore was gifted by the Jordan Brand with a shoe case of her gold sneakers. The brand said it was to honor her legacy as one of the true greats in the game.
In the ceremony held following the Lynx's 90-80 victory over the visiting Indiana Fever at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Saturday, the now-35-year-old Moore got a huge surprise. Apart from Minnesota's retirement of her No. 23 jersey, her Jordan Brand family chimed in with their unique gift, which came with a team jacket from renowned designer Jeff Hamilton.
Maya Moore just could not hide her excitement as she was all smiles while blurting, "Wow!"
Check out her reaction, as shared by the WNBA, below:
Maya Moore made history by becoming the first WNBA player to sign with the Jordan Brand in 2011 as a rookie. It did not take long for the No. 1 overall pick to prove her worth as apart from becoming the top rookie that year, she also helped the Lynx win the league championship.
She would play in Minnesota for seven more years, winning three more WNBA titles (2013, 2015 and 2017) while earning Finals MVP honors in 2013. She was a six-time NBA All-Star, three-time All-Star MVP and seven-time All-WNBA Team member (five in the First Team).
She finished her career with averages of 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 271 games.
Apart from what she did on the court, which many players who came after her admired her for a lot, including Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, she was also known for her many social causes during and after her playing career.
Maya Moore looks back fondly at what she accomplished with the Lynx
Maya Moore looked back at her amazing journey with the Minnesota Lynx fondly during her jersey retirement in Minneapolis on Saturday. She highlighted that the road for them was not easy but through a lot of collective effort they were able to succeed.
The former UConn star returned to Minnesota to be feted by the team, which she helped win four WNBA titles and where she established her legend as one of the true greats in women's play and basketball in general.
She spoke about her excitement over being celebrated and honored with a jersey retirement, saying:
"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 part of with this Lynx family.
"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!"
To celebrate the special day of Maya Moore, her former teammates Rebekkah Brunson, Lindsay Whalen, Sylvia Fowles, and Seimone Augustus were also present and spoke during the ceremony.