Maya Moore Sitting Out 2020 [merged thread] | The Boneyard

Maya Moore Sitting Out 2020 [merged thread]

This just in (on my ESPN feed):

Maya has announced that she won't be playing in the WNBA or in the Olympics this year, mainly because she wishes to devote her time and energy to the case of Jonathan Irons, a prisoner from her hometown in Missouri whom she believes was wrongly convicted. Irons is serving a 50-year sentence for burglary and assault with a weapon. The conviction is said to be based solely on the victim's ID of Irons, with no supporting forensic evidence. He and his attorneys are seeking a new trial.

Maya had appeared on a Public Television interview show earlier this year to plead the case for Irons.

She says she is not retiring from basketball, but at the same time is not committing to any specific return date.

I'm wondering what she thinks that she can accomplish in a practical sense to further his case. Maybe she just hopes that she can generate enough publicity to keep the case in the public eye.

You can find the full article on the ESPN web site.
 
I linked further down to the much more detailed NYT article.

Mods want to merge these two?
 
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She could do better by playing and using her income to hire a top notch lawyer.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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PonchoFan said:
My opinion is she is a jerk. She could do better by playing and using her income to hire a top notch lawyer.
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My opinion is that perhaps she may feel that her current passion is more important than basketball. And perhaps, she may feel that she has nothing further to prove in basketball. And perhaps, she may not need any further income. And perhaps, she may one day be that Top-Notch lawyer.

She has already proven that she is a high-achieving, remarkable, and compassionate individual. Kudos to Maya. I wish her every success.
 
PonchoFan said:
[ ]
She could do better by playing and using her income to hire a top notch lawyer.
Expand ...
Look how much WNBA players make and how much top lawyers cost and you’ll realize Maya is doing what’s best for the prisoner as well as serving her own conscience. Money might buy you a super mattress but it’s your conscience that lets you sleep through the night.
 
From the ESPN article--with the quote taken from the NY Times article(sub)

www.espn.com

Maya Moore to sit out second WNBA season in row to push for inmate's freedom

Lynx star Maya Moore told The New York Times that she will sit out a second straight season and skip the Olympics so she can push for the release from prison of Jonathan Irons, who she believes is innocent of the crime for which he was convicted.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

"I'm in a really good place right now with my life, and I don't want to change anything," Moore told the Times in a telephone interview this week. "Basketball has not been foremost in my mind. I've been able to rest and connect with people around me, actually be in their presence after all of these years on the road. And I've been able to be there for Jonathan."

I cant see how one of the BY posters can call her a name, since edited out by the poster. Life is bigger than even a sport, or a team.
 
PonchoFan said:
[ ]
She could do better by playing and using her income to hire a top notch lawyer.
Expand ...

So your post reminded me of something that has had me ruminating about Maya and this case. First, I have to assume adequate counsel is on the case, because Maya would have it no other way. So my question becomes how can one case absorb her time to the exclusion of her still chosen profession?
 
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If you read the above bolded quotes, you will see that Jonathan certainly was not the only reason she’s taking off another year. In fact, he seemed to have been added as an afterthought. Maybe the full article is different.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
So your post reminded me of something that has had me ruminating about Maya and this case. First, I have to assume adequate counsel is on the case, because Maya would have it no other way. So my question becomes how can one case absorb her time to the exclusion of her still chosen profession?
Expand ...
This one case is being used to tackle a greater issue which is criminal justice reform Via a “Ministry” This bleacher report paints a broader picture. Maya is meeting with legislators and leaders to advocate change.
bleacherreport.com

Maya Moore Will Sit Out 2020 WNBA Season to Focus on Criminal Justice Reform

Maya Moore will miss her second straight WNBA season in 2020. According to the New York Times ' Kurt Streeter , the Minnesota Lynx star plans to sit out " so she can continue ...
bleacherreport.com bleacherreport.com
 
One of the greatest things about following the Lady Huskies over the years to to be able to watch these young women evolve into pillars of their communities. Rebecca, Sue, Diana, Maya, Stewie, all speaking out on important issues of the day and becoming directly involved rather than staying on the periphery just to get some credit while others are doing the actual work.
 
JoePgh said:
This just in (on my ESPN feed):

Maya has announced that she won't be playing in the WNBA or in the Olympics this year, mainly because she wishes to devote her time and energy to the case of Jonathan Irons, a prisoner from her hometown in Missouri whom she believes was wrongly convicted. Irons is serving a 50-year sentence for burglary and assault with a weapon. The conviction is said to be based solely on the victim's ID of Irons, with no supporting forensic evidence. He and his attorneys are seeking a new trial.

Maya had appeared on a Public Television interview show earlier this year to plead the case for Irons.

She says she is not retiring from basketball, but at the same time is not committing to any specific return date.

I'm wondering what she thinks that she can accomplish in a practical sense to further his case. Maybe she just hopes that she can generate enough publicity to keep the case in the public eye.

You can find the full article on the ESPN web site.
Expand ...
I live in Missouri and this is the first I have hear of this. Mya should call Kim K and get a meeting with the President!
 
huskeynut said:
Whether any of us agree or disagree with her decision, Maya has a passion and a purpose above basketball.

I applaud her decision and wish her the best.
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I wish more athletes would retire early and do something like this.
 
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Gotta take the bad with the good. Depending on your point of view, this is one or the other or both. It seems that Maya is passionate about her pursuit, and that’s what’s most important as far as I’m concerned.
 
Her basketball career is over. Even if she comes back how old will she be when that happens?
 
hoopsfan22 said:
Her basketball career is over. Even if she comes back how old will she be when that happens?
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Maya is only 30 (born June 1989) and I don;t see her basketball is over. DT is 37 (born June 1982) now and no one would say her career was over when she quit one year for Russia team.
 
Kaizen said:
Maya is only 30 (born June 1989) and I don;t see her basketball is over. DT is 37 (born June 1982) now and no one would say her career was over when she quit one year for Russia team.
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Dee didn’t take two years off playing basketball. She took three months off, and then went back to Russia to play another full professional season.
 
Trappa said:
Dee didn’t take two years off playing basketball. She took three months off, and then went back to Russia to play another full professional season.
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But Michael Jordan took (as I recall) two years off to play minor league baseball, and then came back to the NBA and resumed his star-level basketball career.
 
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I, for one, totally understand where 23 is coming from. Faith and community are pillars of her value system, and while those were relatively easy to sustain and grow in high school and college, the women's professional life entails constant travel, relocation, and alienation from both your own networks and the ones you're temporarily immersed in.

It is not at all surprising to me that someone like Moore wants to remain grounded for a while to reconnect, and I'm fully confident when she's ready she'll return to establish an exceptional next chapter in an already outstanding career. Not just on but also off the court, Moore has always been one of my absolute favorite Huskies.
 
Martin said:
I live in Missouri and this is the first I have hear of this. Mya should call Kim K and get a meeting with the President!
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Dont put Maya with someone from that screwed up family!
 
JoePgh said:
But Michael Jordan took (as I recall) two years off to play minor league baseball, and then came back to the NBA and resumed his star-level basketball career.
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THAT, is a good point.

Maybe she can play some hoops with some Looney Tunes also. :D
 
Maya wears number 23 not as a homage to Jordan but as a reference to Psalm 23. ("The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want...) She is very open to having committed her life as a follower of Jesus. She has put aside a very lucrative career to pursue what she feels is the leading of Christ. Prison reform is just one aspect of all that Maya is doing. I say this because I get frustrated that so many stories focus on one aspect of what this wonderful person is doing and never giving a fuller explanation of why she is doing it. Personally, at 72 years of age, this 30 year old is a role model for me and should be for more of us.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
So your post reminded me of something that has had me ruminating about Maya and this case. First, I have to assume adequate counsel is on the case, because Maya would have it no other way. So my question becomes how can one case absorb her time to the exclusion of her still chosen profession?
Expand ...
This ONE case symbolizes much larger social issues, the incarceration of black males, systemic racism and inequality in general. Maya appears to believe these problems transcend her professional basketball career. She has earned the respect of millions.
 
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