Saturday, the Minnesota Lynx immortalized Maya Moore's impact on the franchise by retiring her number, 23, in Minnesota. Moore gave a speech to Lynx fans to tie a bow on her lasting impact on both the Lynx and WNBA.
Sat on the bench taking in the moment was Indiana Fever rookie star Caitlin Clark, who is one of the likely leading faces of WNBA stadom that Moore paved a path for. This photo of Clark taking in Moore, with so many young fans in Clark jerseys behind her, perfectly captures that idea:
.@CaitlinClark22 watching Maya Moore’s jersey retirement with all the young girls in 22 jerseys behind her 💙 pic.twitter.com/vJ4Hu4zSSl
— Bri Lewerke (@brilewerke) August 25, 2024
Clark has set the pace this year, leading the league by far in jersey sales. She boasts partnerships with State Farm, Gatorade, and more that liken to the attention Moore generated. Moore was the first female basketball player to sign with the Jordan brand in 2011.
Moore's speech acknowledged the savvy scheduling of holding the ceremony against the Fever, as she discussed one of her iconic career photos that happened to come against the Indiana franchise:
"All you see in that picture is the [Indiana] fans just speechless as the shot is going up and then, you know, pump fake, one dribble right, it goes up," Moore said, H/T ESPN. "All I remember is it was so eerily quiet after the shot went in and then [Brunson] hugged me and I'm like, 'Oh, I'm back to life.'"
Moore last played in the WNBA in 2018. She announced that she would miss the 2019 season to focus on off-court aspirations, which included criminal justice advocacy. She officially announced her retirement in 2023.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Awesome Photo of Caitlin Clark, Fans Taking in Maya Moore Ceremony Was Pure Art.
