UConn Legend Maya Moore’s fight for criminal justice reform chronicled in ESPN’s 30 for 30.

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2020, file photo, former Connecticut and Minnesota Lynx player Maya Moore applauds in Hartford, Conn. Moore left the WNBA in 2019 to help her now husband Jonathan Irons get his conviction overturned and win his release from prison. Moore, 32, remains non-committal to returning to the WNBA. A documentary of their story - "Breakaway" - that was produced by Robin Roberts will air next week on ESPN. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
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I’m actually living in a bigger dream than I ever imagined, “said Maya Moore during the” Breakaway “closing area, as she prepares for a nearby barbecue with her husband and wife.

The next episode in ESPN’s 30th 30th column, which begins at 9pm on Tuesday, the day before the WNBA All-Star game, describes UConn’s story’s decision to withdraw from the professional hockey club above. .

In 2019, after four WNBA tournaments with the Minnesota Lynx, two Olympic gold medals, six all-star shows and an MVP award, Moore took the Sabbath at the age of 29 to consider release from her husband Jonathan Irons, who had been convicted. up to 50 years in prison for robbery and assault in Missouri. Irons served 23 years until his sentence was annulled in March 2020 after a judge sentenced prosecutors to remove fingerprint evidence that would have strengthened Irons’ defense. Irons left last July and married Moore later that month.

Moore was only 18 when he met the Irons during a visit to the Jefferson City Rehabilitation Center. The two were brought in by Moore’s mother-in-law Reggie and Cheri Williams, who got to know Irons through the prison service program.

The film, which Hearst Connecticut Media received high-profile scrutiny, follows their relationship for years with Moore’s desire for truth.

In 2018, was when Moore, 32, last played in the WNBA. That season he averaged 18 points and was named All-Star Game MVP for the third time.

He has been avoiding a return to hockey, recently telling The Associated Press that he “doesn’t think about it at all.”

“It’s all unexpected,” Moore said. “When Jonathan got home it was like, ‘Well, now some can start in a certain way.’ That’s what we did. The story is still going on. This is where we are right now, we live in the moment.

Moore and the Irons have launched a campaign, “Win and Justice,” to educate the public about the power of prosecutors in the criminal justice system.

“When you become a top athlete, there is a state of your humanity that has been stripped and changed,” Moore says in the film. “You become that kind of fake hero for the fans. What I have tried to do is to fight for my humanity by uniting with humanity. It’s bigger than the game.

Moore was honored Saturday night at ESPYS with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

He told the AP: “It’s just a special opportunity to continue celebrating what happened. Continue to have the opportunity to share with people beyond my heart. As an athlete, the context of what we do in nature is limited. Our performance, what happens, the drama. We. it’s more than athletes. We are the people. We have a story. We have hearts and lives. “

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