Maya Moore

Maya Moore

Moore in 2016
No. 23 – Minnesota Lynx
Position Small forward
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1989-06-11) June 11, 1989
Jefferson City, Missouri
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight 174 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school Collins Hill (Suwanee, Georgia)
College Connecticut (2007–2011)
WNBA draft 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Minnesota Lynx
Playing career 2011–present
Career history
2011–present Minnesota Lynx
2011–2012 Ros Casares Valencia
2012–2016 Shanxi Flame
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Medals
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
2012 London Team
2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
World Championship
2010 Czech Republic
2014 Turkey

Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Moore was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. Moore played forward for the UConn women's basketball team, and won back to back national championships in 2009 and 2010. She was selected as the John Wooden Award winner in 2009 after leading Connecticut to the undefeated national championship. The following season, Moore led Connecticut to its second straight national championship and continued its overall undefeated streak at 78; in the 2010–11 season, she led the Huskies in extending that streak to an NCAA both-gender record (all divisions) of 90. On May 18, 2011, Moore became the first female basketball player to sign with Jordan Brand.[1]

Moore was the first overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft, and joined a Minnesota Lynx team that already featured all-star caliber players in Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen. Since 2011, Moore has continued to excel, both with the Lynx and with overseas teams in Europe and China. Moore has won three WNBA championship(2011, 2013, 2015), WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2014),[2] WNBA Finals MVP Award (2013),[3] WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2015), two Olympic gold medals, (2012, 2016), scoring title (2014), and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2011).[4] She has also been selected to four WNBA All-Star teams and three All-WNBA teams. In 2012, she won both the Spanish league title and EuroLeague title playing for Ros Casares Valencia. From 2013 to 2015, Moore also won the Chinese league title every year.


Early life

Maya April Moore was born on June 11, 1989 in Jefferson City, Missouri. She is the daughter of Kathryn Moore. [5] Moore had her first exposure to basketball at the age of three when her mother mounted a hoop on the back door of their apartment. She attended Moreau Heights Elementary School as a child.[6]

High school career

Moore attended Collins Hill High School in Gwinnett County, near Suwanee, Georgia. Moore was a four-year starter at Collins Hill High School, where she had a 125-3 record with the Eagles. Moore was named to the USA Today Freshman and Sophomore All-America Teams. During her junior year in 2005–06, averaged 23.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 5.4 steals as a junior at Collins Hill. Moore was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She was only the second junior to win the Naismith award[7] Her first dunk was one-handed off an alley-oop pass in warm-ups at a dunk contest in Charlotte, NC in December 2005. She was 16 at the time.[8] As a senior she averaged 25.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.3 steals. In December 2006, she led the Collins Hill Eagles over Poly (Long Beach, California) by a score of 75–61, resulting in her being selected unanimously as the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament of Champions in Chandler, Arizona. In the title game of the "T-Mobile Invitational" in Seattle, she scored 48 points in a win over St. Elizabeth. Moore helped lead her high school to four consecutive state championships appearances, including three Georgia state titles and the 2007 National Championship. Moore is a three-time Georgia 5A Player of the Year and 2007 Miss Georgia Basketball. Moore finished as Collins High School's all-time leader in points (2,664) rebounds (1,212), assists (407) and steals (467).[9]

In addition to basketball, she also participated in track and field. Moore finished as the first-place runner-up in the high jump at the 2005 Georgia State 5A Championships. She was also an excellent student, as she graduated from high school with a 4.0 grade point average. Moore was the recipient of the Atlanta Journal Cup. Moore announced that she would play college basketball at the University of Connecticut. Moore is only the second player to win the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award award following both junior and senior prep seasons, joining Candace Parker. Moore is also a two-Time Parade Magazine First Team All-America, three-time Georgia 5A Player of the Year, three-time Street & Smith All-America Team choice, four-time Georgia Class 5A All-State First Team choice, and a member of the 2006 Sports Illustrated All-America Team. Moore received several awards for her performance her senior year including the 2007 WBCA National Player of the Year, 2007 Parade Magazine All-America of the Year, and 2007 Morgan Wootten Award Winner which is presented to the McDonald's All-America Player of the Year.[9]

High school stats

Season Games PPG RPG APG SPG
2004–05 32 19.4 8.6 3.1 2.8
2005–06 32 23.2 11.3 4.6 5.4
2006-07 34 25.5 12.1 4.0 4.3

High school totals

Number of Seasons Games PPG RPG SPG
4 128 19.3 8.6 3.5

Time with the Georgia Metros

Maya Moore played for the Georgia Metros 16U Nike Travel Team in both 2005 and 2006. The Georgia Metros went 73-6 in those two travel seasons, and Maya led them to four National Championships: The AAU 16U National Championship in Orlando (where she was the MVP, as a 15-year-old) in 2005; the US Junior Nationals Championship in DC, twice, in both 2005 and 2006; and the Nike Nationals Championship in 2006. Notable teammates while with the Georgia Metros included Kelly Cain (Tennessee), Ashley Houts (Georgia), Alicia Manning (Tennessee), Morgan Toles (Auburn/FSU), Charenee Stephens (South Carolina), Taylor Turnbow (LSU), Jordan Greenleaf (Auburn), and D'Andra Moss (VCU).

University of Connecticut career

Freshman year

Moore led the Huskies to a 36–2 record in the 2007–08 NCAA season, their best record since their Final Four appearance of 2004. During the season, Moore averaged a team-high 17.8 points per game, and hit 42% of her three-point shots. Moore also placed second on the team in rebounds with 7.6 per game and blocks with 1.6 per game. She tallied double-figure points 36 times as a freshman including 13 20-plus game, posted 11 double-doubles and set UConn freshman records for points (678), field goals game (275), three point field goals (73), while ranking among the top five on the rookie charts for scoring average (tied/4th - 13.8 ppg.), rebounds (2nd - 290), assists (5th - 116), steals (tied/6th - 63), and blocks (3rd - 59). Her 678 points broke the UConn single-season record for most points as a freshman (678) breaking the mark set by Svetlana Abrosimova, who had 538 in 1997–98, andbesting Tamara James (Miami, Fla.) previous BIG EAST Freshman record total of 650. She tied with Diana Taurasi with consecutive double-figure scoring record with 31 games. She ranked sixth among BIG EAST scoring leaders at 17.8 ppg, 11th among BIG-EAST rebounding leaders at 7.6 rpg, finished in seventh place among BIG-EAST field goal percentage leaders at .543,ranked fifth among BIG EAST's leaders in three-point field goal percentage at .420.

Moore was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week a conference record 10 times, passing former UConn standout Rebecca Lobo (7) for most selections in BIG EAST history, became the first-ever freshman in BIG EAST Conference history to be recognized as Player of the Week on March 4, she was also named Freshman of the Week, marking the first time the conference weekly honors have been swept by the same player. She was second to Candace Parker in the Associated Press Player of the Year voting and was the first freshman, male or female, to be named the Big East Player of the Year. Only second freshman in history to be named to the Associated Press All-America First Team, USBWA All-America First Team. She was selected as USBWA National Freshman of the Year, also named as the unanimous choice for BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and was a 2008 All-BIG-EAST First Team choice.. She is the first freshman in UConn history to be named as an All-America selection.

Sophomore year

Moore continued her stellar play in her sophomore year. Moore averaged 21.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.3 blocks while shooting .625 (25-of-40) from the field en route to earning 2009 BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. Moore became the fastest player to reach the 1,000-point milestone in UConn history, doing so in her 55th career game with 40 points vs. Syracuse and became the second UConn player to score 40 or more points in a game, while she also broke the UConn and BIG EAST records for made three-point field goals with 10, while grabbing 13 rebounds for her eighth double-double against the Orange, put together third double-double in last four games with 18 points and 12 rebounds in win over DePaul (1/13). By the end of her sophomore year, she was named the AP Player of the year, only the second time in history a sophomore has won the honor. The other recipient was Oklahoma's Courtney Paris.Moore also earned Big East Player of the Year for the second straight year and was a unanimous 2008–09 All-Big East 1st team selection. Moore also earned almost all the possible National Player of the Year awards, including the John R. Wooden Award, Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, USBWA National Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, ESPY for Top Female College Athlete and ESPN.com National Player of the Year. Moore averaged a team-high 22.2 points per game during UConn's five-game march through the NCAA Tournament and named the NCAA Trenton Regional Most Outstanding Player and helped lead her team to an undefeated 39-0 season and the 2009 National Championship, and was named to the 2009 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team

Junior Year

Moore played in all 39 Husky victories and started 38 times and led the team and ranked No. 22 nationally at 18.9 points per game, while she was second on the team with 8.3 rebounds per contest and registered a team-high 150 assists (3.8 apg.). Moore also led the squad with 82 steals and was second with 40 rejections. Moore posted a team-best 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio, which also the 19th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country. A scoring threat from virtually anywhere, Moore led the team with 80 3-point field goals made and recorded double-digit scoring in all but one game and tallied at least 20 points on 19 occasions, while she registered double-digit rebounds 14 times and double-digit defensive rebounds three times. She ranked in the top-12 of 10 BIG EAST statistical categories including No. 1 in points per game, No. 6 in rebounds per game, No. 6 in assists per game, No. 3 in 3-point field goal percentage and No. 1 in assist-to-turnover ratio She also posted 14 double-doubles. Moore was selected to the Associated Press All-America First Team, BIG EAST All-Tournament Team, All-BIG EAST First Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District I First Team. She was the named the NCAA Dayton Regional Most Outstanding Player, BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year, ESPY for Top Female College Athlete, and ESPN The Magazine Academic All- American of the Year. She helped lead her team to a second straight undefeated 39-0 season and the 2010 National Championship, and was named to the 2010 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team

Senior Year

In her final year at UConn, Moore had an amazing season, starting in all 39 games; she tied her career high in steals (6) and field goal attempts (26) against the Lady Bears and became UConn's all-time scoring leader with 17 points against Sacred Heart on December 5. Moore scored a career-high 41 points on 15-of-24 shooting in UConn's 89th straight win, a collegiate basketball record, vs. Florida State on December 21; she tallied 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals vs. Duke on March 29 en route to being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Philadelphia Regional and earned her 3,000th-career point on March 29. Moore scored a game-high 36 points and snared eight rebounds in UConn's National Semifinal loss to Notre Dame on April 3.

During the 2010–2011 season Maya Moore posted career highs in scoring (22.3 ppg), assists (4.1 apg) and steals (2.2 spg), sweeping all possible individual honors: she won her 2nd Naismith College Player of the Year award, her 3rd straight Wade Trophy (only player in history - freshmen are not eligible for this award), her 2nd Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year award and her 2nd USBWA Women's National Player of the Year award; she was also voted Big East Player of The Year (3rd time) and a fourth straight unanimous First-Team All-American in WBCA, USBWA and AP polls (second player ever after Oklahoma's Courtney Paris).

In her college career Maya Moore won 150 games and only lost 4, amassing a total 3036 points (1st Husky ever and 4th all-time in NCAA division I women's basketball), 1276 rebounds (2nd Husky ever), 310 steals (3rd Husky ever), 544 assists (6th Husky ever) and 204 blocks (4th Husky ever); she is the only women’s basketball player in Division I history to record 2500 points, 1000 rebounds, 500 assists, 250 steals and 150 blocked shots. On February 28 she was enshrined in the Huskies of Honor (3rd time ever for an active player).

Maya Moore was also a brilliant college student: she graduated with a 3.7 GPA, earning the Elite 88 Award, and was named Cosida Academic All-America First-Team in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Cosida Academic All-America of the Year in 2010 and 2011 (1st player to ever repeat) and All-sports Academic All-America of the Year in 2011.

After graduation Maya Moore was selected by the Minnesota Lynx as the 1st overall pick in the 2011 WNBA draft (4th time for a Husky), also becoming the first female basketball player signed to the Jordan Brand.[10]

Connecticut statistics

Source[11]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007-08 Connecticut 38 678 54.3 42.0 74.3 7.6 3.1 1.7 1.6 17.8
2008-09 Connecticut 39 754 52.1 39.8 78.0 8.9 3.3 1.9 1.5 19.3
2009-10 Connecticut 39 736 51.5 41.7 79.0 8.3 3.8 2.1 1.9 18.9
2010-11 Connecticut 38 868 52.4 38.4 84.3 8.2 4.0 2.3 1.2 22.8
Career Connecticut 154 3036 52.5 40.4 79.8 8.3 3.5 2.0 1.3 19.7

Professional career

Moore handling the ball in a 2012 home game.

Maya Moore's professional career, like her high school and college career, has been filled with championships. In her first three years, she made three WNBA finals, one Eurobasket final, and two WCBA finals, and won five of the six possible championships she could have. Along the way, she has established herself as one of the best professional women's players in the game. In 2015, she won the WNBA All-Star MVP award. This makes her one of only two players, the other being Lisa Leslie, who have won the MVP award for the WNBA regular-season, the WNBA finals, and the All-Star game.[12]

Rookie season

Moore (top) and former Lynx forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin in 2011 victory parade

Moore was selected 1st overall in the 2011 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx.[13] She joined a team that already featured talented players like Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson, and Seimone Augustus, and helped the Lynx to their best record in franchise history, as well as the best record in the WNBA.[14] Moore was named WNBA Rookie of the Month for July and August, and played in the WNBA All-Star Game.[15][16] Though Moore admitted that she struggled at times to adapt to the extraordinary level of talent in the WNBA, her play still earned her Rookie of the Year honors.[17]

During the playoffs, Moore was her team's second-leading scorer. She led her team in scoring once, in the final game of the Western Conference finals, when she poured in 21 points, including six three-pointers.[18] In October 2011, Maya became only the second player in league history to win Rookie of the Year honors and a WNBA championship in the same year.[19][20]

Olympic gold medal and Finals MVP season

In 2012, Moore helped the Lynx begin the season with a 10–0 run, the best start in WNBA history.[21] The Lynx went on to equal 2011's 27–7 mark, finishing as the top seed in the WNBA Playoffs for a second straight year. The Lynx advanced to the 2012 WNBA Finals, for the second straight season, but fell to the Indiana Fever. In 2013, Moore elevated her game, she led the Lynx in points, and became the first player in WNBA history to lead the league in both three-point field goals and three-point shooting percentage.[22] Moore was twice selected WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month, and three times selected WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week. Meanwhile, the Lynx once again had the best record in the WNBA, finishing 26-8. The Lynx swept through the playoffs, winning their second WNBA championship. Moore was named WNBA Finals MVP, leading her team in scoring two of the three games in the Finals.

2014 WNBA MVP season

In the fourth game of the 2014 season, Moore set a new WNBA record by scoring 30 or more points in four consecutive games. On July 22, 2014, Maya scored a career-high 48 points, the second highest single-game total in WNBA history.[23] She also had another 40-point game just a week later. She then set a WNBA record by scoring 30+ points in twelve games in one season. She would end up averaging a career-high 23.9 points per game and for the first time in her career, Moore won the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award. Minnesota entered the playoffs as the number 2 seed in the Western Conference. They had a record of 25–9, the 2nd best record in the Western Conference and also the entire WNBA. They played the number 3 seed of the Western Conference, the San Antonio Stars, in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Lynx swept the Stars 2-0. Then they faced the number 1 overall seeded Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference Finals. They lost Game 1 85-71, as Maya scored fewer than 10 points for the first and only time the entire season. But in Game 2, she rebounded with 32 points and led her team to a 82-77 victory. They played in Phoenix for the 3rd and final game, and lost 96-78, failing to make the WNBA Finals for the 1st time in 4 seasons.

2015 All-Star MVP season

Maya Moore at 2015 All-Star game, where she won the MVP award

Prior to the 2015 season, Moore re-signed with the Lynx to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired.[24] In the 2015 season, Moore was named to the 2015 WNBA All-Star Game and was awarded MVP after scoring a WNBA All-Star Game record, 30 points.[25] Midway through the season, the Lynx had traded for Sylvia Fowles to bolster the Lynx's roster at the center position. The Lynx were first place in the Western Conference, advanced all the way to the finals and won its third WNBA championship in five years by beating the Indiana Fever, three games to two. One of the memorable highlights of the finals was in Game 3 where Moore hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. She was also named to the All-WNBA First Team in 2015.[26]

2016 season

In 2016, Moore was chosen to the WNBA Top 20@20, a list of the league's best 20 players ever in celebration of the WNBA's twentieth anniversary. She was the youngest of the 20 winners.[27] During the 2016 season, Moore averaged 19.3 points per game and the Lynx remained a potent, championship contending team, finishing with a franchise best 28–6 record. With the WNBA's new playoff format in effect, the Lynx were the number 1 seed in the league with a double-bye to the semi-finals (the last round before the WNBA Finals) facing the Phoenix Mercury. The Lynx defeated the Mercury in a 3-game sweep, advancing to the WNBA Finals for the fifth time in six years. The Lynx were up against the Los Angeles Sparks, making it the second time in league history where two teams from the same conference faced each other in the Finals due to the new playoff format. During a loss in Game 1, Moore passed Diana Taurasi for most points scored in WNBA Finals history (262).[28] Facing a 2–1 deficit, Moore took over in Game 4, scoring a game-high 31 points to lead the Lynx to a 85–79 win, forcing a Game 5. The Lynx would end up losing Game 5 77–76 off a game-winning shot by Nneka Ogwumike as the Sparks became 2016 WNBA Champions.

WNBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career high League leader

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2011 Minnesota 34 34 29.0 .439 .369 .787 4.6 2.6 1.4 0.5 1.4 13.2
2012 Minnesota 34 34 29.7 .465 .388 .879 6.0 3.6 1.5 0.6 1.8 16.4
2013 Minnesota 34 34 31.4 .509 .453 .882 6.2 3.0 1.7 1.0 1.7 18.5
2014 Minnesota 34 34 34.7 .481 .335 .884 8.1 3.4 1.9 0.8 2.4 23.9
2015 Minnesota 33 33 33.4 .420 .359 .855 6.7 3.5 1.6 0.7 2.3 20.6
2016 Minnesota 34 34 29.7 .448 .404 .868 5.1 4.2 1.5 0.7 2.3 19.3
Career 6 years, 1 team 203 203 31.1 .460 .383 .864 6.1 3.4 1.6 0.7 2.0 18.6

Postseason

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2011 Minnesota 8 8 27.9 .458 .400 .690 5.9 2.3 1.0 0.6 1.8 13.8
2012 Minnesota 9 9 33.0 .429 .433 .913 5.2 2.8 1.0 0.6 1.7 16.6
2013 Minnesota 7 7 32.7 .531 .400 .882 5.3 2.7 1.6 0.4 1.4 20.9
2014 Minnesota 5 5 36.0 .440 .333 1.000 6.0 5.4 2.8 1.6 2.4 19.8
2015 Minnesota 10 10 36.1 .419 .349 .868 7.3 2.6 2.3 1.1 2.8 23.4
2016 Minnesota 8 8 32.9 .517 .387 .935 7.3 4.6 1.8 0.5 2.7 22.4
Career 6 years, 1 team 47 47 33.2 .461 .388 .880 6.2 3.3 1.7 0.8 2.2 19.5

Overseas career

2011-12: EuroLeague and Spanish champions

Moore signed with the Spanish club Ros Casares Valencia for the 2011–2012 season. She joined the team late due to her title run with the Lynx.

In 10 EuroLeague Women games, Moore averaged 12.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists, helping Ros Casares win its first ever EuroLeague championship on April 1, 2012.[29]

Three weeks later, Ros Casares also won the Spanish domestic league (Liga Femenina de Baloncesto) title, with Moore scoring a team-high 20 points in the April 24 final.[30] The win over Perfumerías Avenida also revenged the March loss in the Copa de la Reina (Queen's Cup) final, when Moore scored a game-high 24.[31]

Moore defending an inbound pass during a January 2014 WCBA game in Shanghai.

2012-15: 3-peats in China

In 2012, Moore signed with the Chinese club Shanxi Flame, playing under Spanish coach Lucas Mondelo.[32] It was the club's first year in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association, and they started the season 0-2 with American import Ebony Hoffman. As soon as Moore arrived and replaced Hoffman (since the league only allows 1 non-Asian player per team), the team won 10 in a row.[33] In her third game, she had 60 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks and 5 steals against Yunnan.[34] Moore finished her first season in Shanxi averaging 37.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.5 steals per game, leading the Flame to the championship in a 3-1 series over Zhejiang.[35][36]

In Moore's second year with Shanxi, she again took her team to the finals, averaging 43.3 points per game in a 3-1 series win over Beijing. It was Moore's fifth professional championship in three years.[37] For the season she averaged 39.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 4.3 steals per game.[38]

In the 2014-2015 season, Shanxi won its third straight title, beating the Brittney Griner-led Beijing 3-1 in the finals after dropping the first game.[39] She averaged 30.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.6 steals per game for the season[38] while fighting a knee injury.[40]

Despite the language barrier Moore is well-liked in Shanxi, not solely for her on-court dominance but also for her humility and friendly interactions with fans,[41] who called her the "Invincible Queen" (不败女王).[36] For her contributions to the city, she was awarded "Honorary Citizen of Taiyuan" by Taiyuan's municipal government.[42]

USA Basketball

Moore was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009, one of only three college players and the only junior to be invited to the training camp.[43] The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics was chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team traveled to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they competed in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.[43]

Moore was one of twenty players named to the national team pool. Twelve of this group were chosen to represent the USA in the 2010 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.[44]

Moore playing for USA National team USA against the Select team.
Moore playing for USA Select team against the USA National team.

The USA National team began training in April 2010 to prepare for the FIBA World Championship starting in September 2010. Moore was one of the players selected for the training sessions, run by the national team coach Geno Auriemma. The teams played informal scrimmages, with one team made up of the players expected to be on the national team, and the other team made up of invited all star college players, referred to as the select team. Although Moore was still in college, she was invited to be part of the national team. In the first two ten-minute games, Moore played with the national team and helped them to two wins. Then Moore switched jerseys, and played for the select team. In both games, the select team won, with Moore making the assist to put the team ahead, then stealing the ball and making the game winning shot in the final seconds. Moore ended up being on the winning side in all four games.[45]

Moore was named as one of the National team members to represent the USA Basketball team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball.[46] This game replaced the normal WNBA All-Star game with WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball, as part of the preparation for the FIBA World Championship for Women to be held in the Czech Republic during September and October 2010. Moore was selected to be a member of the National team representing the USA at the World Championships held in September and October 2010. The team was coached by Geno Auriemma. Because many team members were still playing in the WNBA until just prior to the event, the team had only one day of practice with the entire team before leaving for Ostrava and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. Even with limited practice, the team managed to win its first games against Greece by 26 points. The team continued to dominate with victory margins exceeding 20 points in the first five games. Several players shared scoring honors, with Swin Cash, Angel McCoughtry, Moore, Diana Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen, and Sylvia Fowles all ending as high scorer in the first few games. The sixth game was against undefeated Australia — the USA jumped out to a 24-point lead and the USA prevailed 83–75. The USA won its next two games by over 30 points, then faced the host team, the Czech Republic, in the championship game. The USA team had only a five-point lead at halftime, which was cut to three points, but the Czechs never got closer. Team USA went on to win the championship and gold medal. Moore averaged 8.7 points per game.[47]

Moore was one of 21 finalists for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster. The 20 professional women's basketball payers, plus one collegiate player (Brittney Griner), were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster to represent the USA at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[48] Moore won a gold medal with Team USA in 2012, in doing so joining Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Ruth Riley, Tamika Catchings and fellow UConn alums Kara Wolters, Swin Cash, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi on the elite list of female basketball players to have won NCAA titles, WNBA Championships and Olympic gold medals.

Moore was one of 33 finalists for the U.S. Women's FIBA World Championship for Women Roster. The 32 professional women's basketball players, plus one collegiate player (Breanna Stewart) were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster to represent the USA at the FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey during September and October 2014. Moore made the final roster of 12 players, announced on September 23, 2014.[49] Moore won the gold medal with the team in 2014, having now won 3 gold medals with the U.S. team. She was named to the all-tournament team and won the tournament MVP award.

USA Basketball named Moore to the squad that will play the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which would be her second Olympic tournament.[50] Moore earned her second gold medal, helping USA beat Spain 101-72 in the final gold medal game.

Personal life

Moore is a Christian. Moore has spoken about her faith saying, "Even though I’ve got a lot of awards and honors, it’s nothing compared to what the Lord has done to my heart and what He’s done for the world" and "I’m grateful to have the platform of an elite student-athlete and professional basketball player, and I want to do His will with my life."[51][52]

Moore was the subject of an ESPN Sports Science video clip, discussing her vertical leap, court vision, and muscle memory. They discussed her ability to steal, noting that she can move her hands faster than the striking speed of a rattlesnake.[53]

On October 28, 2013, Moore was featured as Betty Lou in "Uncle Drew: Chapter 3"[54] of the Pepsi Max series of advertisements written and directed by Kyrie Irving. She is the first WNBA player to be a part of the series and alongside 'Lights' played by Nate Robinson and 'Uncle Drew' played by Irving, they hustle a courtyard of young players at Seward Park in Chicago, Illinois.

Moore was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30: The Sports World's Brightest Young Stars for 2015.[55]

Moore's father Mike Dabney, who was not part of her life growing up, played collegiate basketball for Rutgers University in the 1970s. He was the 36th pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1976 NBA Draft, though he did not play in the NBA.[56] Moore's young sister Olivia Dabney[57] plays basketball for Rutgers Preparatory School and is a rising star in New Jersey.[58] Another sister Ashley Dabney was a track and field athlete in college.[59]

Awards and honors

Maya Moore accepting the Wade trophy for the best NCAA Division I player in the USA

2007

2008

2009

Maya Moore
Maya Moore in Parade celebrating UConn undefeated National Championship
Moore at the 2016 WNBA Finals

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Maya Moore makes history as first women's player signed by Jordan Brand". CTPost.com. May 18, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  2. ↑ Feinberg, Doug (Associated Press) (August 21, 2014). "Lynx's Moore Wins WNBA MVP Award". ABC News. ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  3. ↑ Associated Press (October 10, 2013). "WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  4. ↑ http://www.wnba.com/lynx/news/pressrelease_Maya_Moore_Named_WNBA_Rookie_of_the_Year__2011_09_16.html
  5. ↑ Sports Illustrated, November 17, 2008, p.70
  6. ↑ "SI Vault". CNN. January 15, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  7. ↑ Sports Illustrated, p. 39, January 15, 2007
  8. ↑ 2006 All-USA preps girls basketball team
  9. 1 2 "Official Website of Connecticut Athletics". Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Maya Moore Becomes First Women's Basketball Player Signed To Jordan Brand". Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  12. ↑ Jacobs, Jeff (July 25, 2015). "Jeff Jacobs: When Maya Moore Gets That Look, Just Look Out". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 26 Jul 2015.
  13. ↑ "Maya Moore heads to Lynx as top pick, 2011 WNBA Draft". April 12, 2011.
  14. ↑ Lynx flirt with history
  15. ↑ Minnesota's Maya Moore Named Rookie of the Month for August
  16. ↑ Rookie Maya Moore among 10 first-time All-Stars this year
  17. ↑ Maya Moore, Lynx escape with win
  18. ↑ Minnesota Wins Series 2–0
  19. ↑ Maya Moore Is WNBA's Rookie Of The Year
  20. ↑ Lynx Reeve, Moore receive league awards
  21. ↑ "2013 REGULAR SEASON CONFERENCE STANDINGS". WNBA.com. 2013-09-30. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  22. ↑ Minnesota Lynx - Records and Milestones Reached in 2013
  23. ↑ Youngblood, Kent "Lynx's Moore stands out early with spectacular start" The Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 26, 2014
  24. ↑ http://www.foxsports.com/north/story/wnba-mvp-maya-moore-re-signs-with-minnesota-lynx-050715
  25. ↑ http://www.wnba.com/news/maya-moore-scores-30-takes-home-boost-mobile-wnba-all-star-game-2015-mvp-honors/
  26. ↑ Legend of Maya Moore Grows With Third Title
  27. ↑ Maya Moore, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie among WNBA's 20@20
  28. ↑ http://www.wnba.com/news/maya-moore-wnba-finals-all-time-leading-scorer/
  29. ↑ "Maya Moore ROS CASARES VALENCIA EuroLeague Women 2012 news, stats, pro file, photos and videos". FIBA Europe.
  30. ↑ "Resultados y estadísticas". FEB (Spanish Basketball Federation).
  31. ↑ "COPA DE LA REINA: El título se va a Salamanca (57-68)". FEB (Spanish Basketball Federation).
  32. ↑ Moore going to play in China in offseason
  33. ↑ "玛雅·摩尔：一个人改变一个联赛". Xinhua.
  34. ↑ WCBA赛场1米83女魔兽！单场恐怖60分13板6盖帽！
  35. ↑ Maya Moore wins WCBA championship with Shanxi Flame
  36. 1 2 Moore comes back for WCBA new season
  37. ↑ All Maya Moore Does is Win
  38. 1 2 WCBA数据统计首页--中国篮球协会官方网站
  39. ↑ Shanxi beat Beijing to win 3rd straight WCBA title
  40. ↑ 山西女篮摩尔女王托起“王朝”
  41. ↑ 玛雅究竟是个怎样的姑娘？ [What Kind of a Girl is Maya Really?]. Shanxi Evening News (in Chinese). July 11, 2015.
  42. ↑ "山西女篮庆功大会举行 玛雅摩尔获太原荣誉市民". NetEase.
  43. 1 2 "USA Basketball Women's National Team To Tip-Off Training Tomorrow In D.C.". USA Basketball. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  44. ↑ "Charles, Moore lead U.S. pool additions". ESPN. March 3, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  45. ↑ "Women's basketball: As usual, Maya Moore excels". American-Republican Inc. AP. April 18, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  46. ↑ "Six Olympic Gold Medalists Among 11-Member Team Set To Participate In WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun Game". USA Basketball. June 30, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  47. ↑ "FIBA World Championship for Women". FIBA. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  48. ↑ "Twenty-One Finalists In The Mix For Final 2012 U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team Roster". USA Basketball. February 13, 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  49. ↑ "2014 USA Basketball World Championship Team Roster Finalized". USA Basketball. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  50. ↑ "2016 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team Roster". USA Basketball. April 27, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Moore's Encore".
  52. ↑ "Maya Moore".
  53. ↑ John Brenkus, Maya Moore (March 31, 2010). Sport Science: Maya Moore. ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  54. ↑ "Pepsi MAX & Kyrie Irving Present Uncle Drew: Chapter 3". Youtube.
  55. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/pictures/emdm45ekggd/maya-moore-25/
  56. ↑ Bank, Irving A. (April 1, 2008). "Family bridges Rutgers, UConn rivalry". The Star-Ledger.
  57. ↑ Big East Championship UCONN vs Norte Dame - March 8, 2011: "UCONN's Maya Moore shares a hug with her sister, Oliva Dabney, 11,..."
  58. ↑ Girls Basketball: NJ.com's All-Sophomore/Freshman girls basketball teams, 2014-15
  59. ↑ Towson University Athletics: Ashley Dabney - 2012 Women's Indoor Track: "a sister, Maya Moore, was the first ever two-time Naismith Women's College Basketball Player of the Year..."
  60. ↑ "Hartford Courant". Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  61. ↑ "UConn official site". Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  62. ↑ Myers, Laura (21 June 2010). "Connecticut's Maya Moore, Penn State's Megan Hodge share college athlete-of-the-year award". LATimes. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  63. 1 2 "Moore Named Co-Winner Of 2010 Honda-Broderick Cup". University of Connecticut. June 21, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  64. 1 2 "Brees big winner at ESPYS". ESPN. July 15, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  65. ↑ "Barack Obama plays with NBA all-stars". ESPN. August 8, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  66. ↑ Baker, Peter (August 8, 2010). "Obama Enlists the Pros for a Game". New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  67. ↑ Ervin, Phil, "Obama honors champion Lynx at White House, jokes of Maya Moore wing", Fox Sports North, June 12, 2014,
  68. ↑ "WBCA High School All-America Game Team MVP's". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved 29 Jun 2014.
  69. 1 2 "USBWA WOMEN'S HONORS". Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  70. ↑ "BigEast Regular Season Records" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  71. ↑ "NaismithPress Release". Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  72. ↑ "Wooden Award Press Release". Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  73. ↑ "ESPN". Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  74. ↑ "UConn Press release". Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  75. ↑ "UConn Press Release". Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  76. ↑ "Lakers, LeBron among ESPY winners". Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  77. ↑ "The Wade Trophy". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved 30 Jun 2014.
  78. ↑ "UConn women's notebook: Moore honored for academics". CTPost.com. February 24, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  79. ↑ Altavilla, John (April 7, 2010). "Final Four Notebook: Moore Named Most Outstanding Player". Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  80. ↑ Elliot, Rich (April 16, 2010). "UConn's Moore wins Honda Sports Award". CTPost.com. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  81. ↑ "Past Honda Sports Award Winners". Collegiate Women Sports Awards. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  82. ↑ "Moore chosen as Best Female Amateur Athlete".
  83. ↑ "UConn's Moore becomes first three-time Wade Trophy winner". USA Today. 2011-04-02. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  84. ↑ "Connecticut's Maya Moore wins the 2010–11 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in women's basketball". Premier Sports Management. April 2, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  85. ↑ "2010–2011 Individual Honda Sports Award Winners to Date". Collegiate Women Sports Awards. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  86. ↑ "Elite 88". NCAA. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  87. ↑ "Maya Moore Big East POY for 3rd time". ESPN. March 4, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  88. ↑ Elliott, Rich (March 29, 2011). "Moore Named First Team AP All-American For Fourth Time". Courant. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  89. ↑ "2010–11 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year – Maya Moore". Collegiate Women Sports Awards.
  90. ↑ "Moore named MVP of 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, headlines All-Star Five". FIBA.com. 5 Oct 2014. Retrieved 5 Oct 2014.
  91. ↑ http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/impact25/slideshow/12020053/5/maya-moore-25-minnesota-lynx-forward-2014-wnba-regular-season-mvp
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