MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Lynx star Maya Moore has decided to skip the upcoming WNBA season.
Moore announced Tuesday on The Players' Tribune website that she'll sit out in 2019. She already took the fall and winter off from international competition. The five-time first-team All-WNBA honoree has helped the Lynx win four championships since her rookie year, 2011.
Last season was only the second time since Moore was drafted first overall that the Lynx didn't reach the WNBA Finals. Moore was eighth in the league in minutes and seventh in points in 2018. She has missed one game in eight seasons, with career averages of 18.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
The Lynx, who have lost point guard Lindsay Whalen to retirement, start their season May 25 against Chicago.
Head Coach Cheryl Reeve shared the following statement on Tuesday: “As she recently shared, Maya has expressed a need to shift her attention more fully to family and ministry dreams in a way that she has been unable to as a professional basketball player. We support her in this exploration and will continue to provide her the love and care she has always known from her Lynx family.”