LeBron James, Caitlin Clark Share Emotional Tributes to Lynx Legend Maya Moore

Kristen Wong | Aug 25, 2024

Former Minnesota Lynx player Maya Moore speaks during her jersey retirement ceremony on August 24, 2024 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE / Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Minnesota Lynx legend Maya Moore received a jersey retirement ceremony for the ages on Saturday night.

A year after Moore officially retired from the WNBA, her No. 23 jersey was retired to the rafters at Target Center following the Lynx’s 90–80 win over the Indiana Fever. In front of a record Lynx home crowd of 19,023, Moore was honored with a sweet video montage as well as a customized chest of Jordan basketball shoes, as she was the first woman to sign with the shoe brand.

During her emotional night, Moore also received love from Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who posted a simple message on X (formerly known as Twitter) praising the six-time All-Star and her legacy.

James wrote, “CONGRATULATIONS 23!!!! Absolute LEGEND!!”

CONGRATULATIONS 2️⃣3️⃣!!!! Absolute LEGEND!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🫡👑 https://t.co/Kk3SzMvmXn

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 25, 2024

In addition, Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark spoke briefly about Moore’s impact ahead of Saturday’s game, telling reporters that Moore was “the person for me growing up.”

Clark fondly reminisced on meeting Moore in a postgame Q&A years ago.

“I didn’t have a Sharpie, and I was at the age where I didn’t have a phone, so I kind of just ran away from my dad because I wanted to meet the players,” Clark said. “And I just ran up to her and I gave her a hug. There’s no documentation of that moment, but obviously, in my brain, that was one of the most pivotal moments probably in my entire basketball career.”

Caitlin Clark spoke about growing up watching Maya Moore and the impact she had on her basketball career. Moore's jersey will be retired by the Lynx tonight as Minnesota hosts Clark and the Fever.#WNBA | #LynxRecognize pic.twitter.com/xs6Qa9rg0A

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) August 24, 2024

Moore, a former two-time NCAA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, helped the Lynx win four WNBA titles (2011, ‘13, ‘15, ‘17) during her eight seasons in Minnesota. The 2014 MVP stepped away from basketball in 2019 to help her now-husband, Jonathan Irons, win his release from prison and never returned to the court, ending her WNBA career at 29 years old.

Moore's No. 23 will be the fifth retired in franchise history. She joins her fellow starters from the four-time WNBA title-winning team—Lindsay Whalen, Sylvia Fowles, Rebekkah Brunson and Seimone Augustus—as the only Lynx players to have their jersey forever enshrined in the rafters.