The Minnesota Lynx announced the team will hold Maya Moore’s jersey retirement on Aug. 24 at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Minnesota will be hosting the Indiana Fever that night, and the Fever hold the No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft on April 15. Iowa star Caitlin Clark is widely expected to be the top overall selection in the draft.
Clark is a note fan of Moore, and earlier in March, ESPN, State Farm and Iowa basketball surprised Clark by having Moore appear in a post-practice interview.
It's 9:30 a.m., but the stars are out in Iowa City. @MooreMaya x @CaitlinClark22 #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/0tc7xzLeTm
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 3, 2024
The Iowa star has also been a box-office hit, with arenas selling out wherever the Hawkeyes played this season. With Moore’s retirement and the potential for Clark being in town, the 19,000-seat Target Center could see a sellout for the game.
Moore was the first overall selection by the Lynx in the 2011 draft. In her eight-year career, Moore was named the 2011 Rookie of the Year and made six All-Star Game appearances, winning All-Star Game MVP three times. Moore won her only MVP in 2014, though she finished top five in voting five times throughout her career.
The Lynx won four WNBA titles during Moore’s career, winning the franchise’s first title in 2011 and again in 2013, 2015 and 2017. Minnesota lost the 2012 and 2017 finals.
Moore averaged 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists throughout her career. She was named to five All-WNBA first teams and two All-WNBA second teams. The forward twice finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, twice being named to the All-Defensive second team.
Clever: @minnesotalynx announce @MooreMaya jersey retirement ceremony will be Aug. 24 vs. @IndianaFever, the likely #WNBA landing spot for noted Maya fan Caitlin Clark. That double draw might sell out the whole Target Center, which holds roughly 19,000. #Lynx
— Patrick Borzi (@BorzMN) March 18, 2024
In February 2019, Moore announced she would miss the 2019 season to focus on family and ministry dreams. Moore stayed away from basketball from 2019 to 2023 to focus on criminal justice reform before announcing her retirement in January 2023.
