MINNEAPOLIS — Over the weekend, the Minnesota Lynx got to say its final thank you to Maya Moore Irons.
Her jersey was retired in front of a crowd of more than 19,000 at Target Center — the largest regular-season crowd in franchise history.
Monday morning, Moore Irons was back at Target Center but this time as a keynote speaker for the inaugural Lynx Changemakers Summit. Lynx Changemakers is a first-of-its-kind venture focused on building the next generation of female leaders and elevating women's sports throughout Minnesota.
After Moore Irons was introduced, Lea B. Olsen addressed the weekend's events and said, "Let's all just look up to the rafters. Let's take a moment to see number 23 hanging there."
The four-time WNBA Champion talked about the changemakers in her life who helped her get to where she is today.
"Anybody who's on stage, who's done anything well for a long period of time, has my story of, 'I was loved, I was helped, I was supported, I was mentored, I was guided' ... it's not a formula but there's a way of being well, and winning, and successful, and thriving and it starts with love. It starts with showing up for people," she said. "I think about my mom. The first person to show up for me, to nurture, to guide, to inspire. I think about the high school coaches that I had. The head coaches I had."
Moore Irons also mentioned how her fourth grade teacher was in attendance at her jersey retirement ceremony.
"She changed my life. She was the teacher that said, 'Maya, if you need to stand up and do your work and balance while doing your work, then stand up and balance and do your work. I'm not going to send you to the hall because you're a kid. Teachers like that that take your gifts and say, 'This isn't' weird. This is just you. Let's shape this and use it for the betterment of your community and your team because you have something to offer this world.' It sounds simple but it changes peoples' lives who don't hear it enough," Moore Irons said.
Moore Irons announced her retirement in 2023 but she last played in the WNBA in 2018, missing the next season to pursue criminal justice reform.
She called attention to the case of Jonathan Irons who was wrongfully accused of a 1997 burglary and shooting, serving a 50-year sentence. Moore Irons helped get him released from prison in 2020 and the pair got married shortly after. In 2022, they welcomed their son.
She discussed embracing different seasons of life, saying, "Don't get frustrated at the journey. Embrace the journey because that's where life happens. So slow down, take it day by day, season by season. Start to think that way. This is the season of life that I'm in...Everything isn't going to happen in the first season. Then you move on to the next season of life. Now I'm a mom, I'm a wife. I'm in this season of my life and that's good. That's okay."
Moore Irons gave advice to the crowd, encouraging people to show up when no one is watching and always be open to learning more.
She also recognized all the people who helped her, saying, "There's a dangerous 'I'm super woman' idea... You can't do it all.... We can do a few things well. I think if you focus on doing a few things well with other people who are doing a few thing well, then we become super. That is what we did. We did a few things well and we were super. That's the real superpower."
The event included included remarks and conversations from Timberwolves and Lynx CEO Ethan Casson, Lynx Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve, Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Changemaker Impact Partner, Girls Taking Action co-founder and president Dr. Verna Cornelia Price and Moore Irons.