WNBA’s Maya Moore marries man she helped free from prison, Jonathan Irons
Maya Moore and Jonathon Irons are newlyweds after she put her career on hold to free him from prison.
After taking a break from professional basketball to help free a wrongfully convicted inmate, Maya Moore announces the two are now married.
Read More: WNBA’s Maya Moore sacrifices season to help free man from prison
The WNBA player, 31, appeared alongside her new husband Jonathon Irons on Good Morning America on Wednesday, confirming a summer ceremony.
“We wanted to announce today that we are super excited to continue the work that we’ve been doing together, but doing it as a married couple,” Moore said. “We got married a couple of months ago, and we’re excited to share this new chapter of life together.”
During the interview, Moore shares the timeline of their love story, beginning when she met him. The WNBA champion describes learning of Irons and his story from family members while an 18-year-old college freshman.
“I was interested in learning, got to know him and over the last 13 years, we have developed a friendship and entered into this huge battle to get him home. Overtime, it was pretty clear what the Lord was doing in our hearts, and now we’re sitting here today,” said Moore.
Read More: WNBA’s Maya Moore taking second straight season off to focus on freeing inmate
“Grateful to announce this new chapter of life!” the WNBA star writes on Instagram, sharing a wedding photo and calling her nuptials a miracle.
With his new wife’s help, Irons was released on July 1 after serving 23 years behind bars. Moore stepped back from basketball for two seasons to focus her time and energy into freeing him from prison. The 40-year-old was wrongly convicted of breaking into a Missouri home and shooting the homeowner.
“I feel like I can live life now. I’m free. I’m blessed,” Irons says in video footage from his release day featured by GMA.
Moore is a four-time WNBA champion with accolades including the 2011 Rookie of the Year, the 2014 MVP, six-time All-Star, and a five-time All-WNBA first-team honoree. She has not decided if she will get back on the court.
“There’s a lot of unknowns for a lot of us right now. So I’m still in that camp,” she said to GMA.
Together, the newlyweds are leading a voting campaign, hoping to encourage citizens to vote in the upcoming 2020 presidential election.
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