Maya - 2024 Commencement Speakers and Honorary Degree Recipients

[cuzinvinny]

2024 Commencement Speakers and Honorary Degree Recipients

Maya Moore Irons ’11 (Doctor of Humane Letters, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – Sunday, May 5, 6:00 p.m. – Gampel Pavilion)

Maya Moore Irons is a UConn basketball legend, author, two-time Olympic gold medalist, advocate for social justice, and recently named inductee to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

During her time at UConn, the women’s basketball team won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010 and Moore was showered with honors, including two selections as the Naismith College Player of the Year and becoming only the third active player to be enshrined among the Huskies of Honor.

Her professional career included four WNBA championships, six all-star selections, and one selection as WNBA Most Valuable Player.

In 2019-20, she took a hiatus from basketball to pursue her advocacy of criminal justice reform, leading to the release of the wrongfully convicted Jonathan Irons from prison in Missouri.

She is the founder of Win With Justice, which advocates criminal justice reform, for which she won the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage in 2021.

 

[Kaizen]

 

[Geew1992]

Ugh...... I miss watching her play

 

[Dabber]

2024 Commencement Speakers and Honorary Degree Recipients

Maya Moore Irons ’11 (Doctor of Humane Letters, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – Sunday, May 5, 6:00 p.m. – Gampel Pavilion)

Maya Moore Irons is a UConn basketball legend, author, two-time Olympic gold medalist, advocate for social justice, and recently named inductee to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

During her time at UConn, the women’s basketball team won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010 and Moore was showered with honors, including two selections as the Naismith College Player of the Year and becoming only the third active player to be enshrined among the Huskies of Honor.

Her professional career included four WNBA championships, six all-star selections, and one selection as WNBA Most Valuable Player.

In 2019-20, she took a hiatus from basketball to pursue her advocacy of criminal justice reform, leading to the release of the wrongfully convicted Jonathan Irons from prison in Missouri.

She is the founder of Win With Justice, which advocates criminal justice reform, for which she won the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage in 2021.

Just an incredible human being.......

 

[MSGRET]

Ugh...... I miss watching her play

You do know that you can watch all but five of her games via the UConn Husky Games. Just go to @HuskyNan's Boneyard Rules, Game Replays & Links to Boneyard lessons Click on the game replays for the Women's Basketball, then start with her Freshman season 2007-08 thru her Senior season 2010-11. Almost all of the games played prior to 2012-13 season are available for viewing because they were on Connecticut Public Broadcasting and not SNY.

 

[Geew1992]

You do know that you can watch all but five of her games via the UConn Husky Games. Just go to @HuskyNan's Boneyard Rules, Game Replays & Links to Boneyard lessons Click on the game replays for the Women's Basketball, then start with her Freshman season 2007-08 thru her Senior season 2010-11. Almost all of the games played prior to 2012-13 season are available for viewing because they were on Connecticut Public Broadcasting and not SNY.

Yes. I watch those and other games often.

 

[MilfordHusky]

At least 3 of Maya's seasons at UConn are available in highlight form on YouTube. Here are the highlights from her freshman year. Her highlights are unparalleled. She was unlike any freshman.

 

[uconnfan68]

At least 3 of Maya's seasons at UConn are available in highlight form on YouTube. Here are the highlights from her freshman year. Her highlights are unparalleled. She was unlike any freshman.

Until Paige.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Until Paige.

True. Maya set the bar, and then Paige raised it. Maya finished 2nd in the AP POY voting to Candace Parker. Paige Buckets was the first freshman to win the major NPOY awards.

On the other hand, Maya missed 1 game in 16 years from high school through the pros. She was Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken.

 

[Jonathan14]

At least 3 of Maya's seasons at UConn are available in highlight form on YouTube. Here are the highlights from her freshman year. Her highlights are unparalleled. She was unlike any freshman.

I think that if Maya had continued playing longer in the WNBA she would be more often talked about as the greatest women's basketball player of all time. And, to me, at least, the fact that she put aside her first career as an athlete before the age of 30 to follow her ministry (as she calls it) to seek criminal justice reform makes her an even more impressive human being than a basketball player. Very happy to see UConn honoring her in this way.

 

[Superhuskies]

SUPERWOMAN

 

[diggerfoot]

Moore is such an impressive woman! As far as who was the most head and shoulders above their competition it’s hard for me to choose. They are all supremely athletic, but Moore was so graceful she was like a ballerina amongst people doing the bunny hop, Stewart so apparently effortless she was like an adult playing with kids, Bueckers so cerebral she seems to be playing chess while others play tic tac toe. How spoiled are we?!

 

[MilfordHusky]

The broadcast is having technical difficulties. Amateurish on the part of ESPN+.

 

[AzzisBraids]

There is a reason why the Caitlin Clark's of the world call Maya Moore their GOAT. You can list championships, awards, etc but when it comes down to it, there will never be another player like Maya. Listed at 6 foot but clearly above that, her inside out game, the passing, the rebounding and the effort.

UConn has seen many a great players but not Maya Moore is an icon, living legend and she is the reason why so many young women in the newer generation picked up a basketball in the first place. Every jersey she ever wore will be retired, every hall of fame she's eligible for she will be in and there isn't anyone on or off the court that is the epitome of UConn. Hard working motor that never stops and outworks you as soon as you put your foot of the glass. She's the best player in her generation in my view.

 

[JellyBean]

Maya is just pure class and a person who knows her worth. She is on a very important mission. Much love and respect for her and her journey.

 

[uconnfan68]

The broadcast is having technical difficulties. Amateurish on the part of ESPN+.

It was my impression that ESPN+ relied on local production facilities (ie. the school). I thought that was part of the dealbreaker that moved us from the AAC.