Sometimes fairytales happen. Other times, two people in love make them happen. Although most people know Maya Moore for her contributions to the game of basketball, there is a lot more that the Hall of Famer has achieved. One in particular is the wrongful detention case of her husband– Jonathan Irons. The 4x WNBA champion not only fought for her love but also ended her luminous basketball career in 2023 to help him find justice. But how did things go in the very beginning?

Maya Moore met the love of her life back in 2007 through her Godparents, Reggie and Sherry Williams. However, then, he was already nine years into his sentence of 50 years. In January 2023, after her retirement, the WNBA legend sat down with Jonathan Capehart of The Washington Post to open up on her first meeting with Irons. She remembered, “Honestly, when I saw him, I was surprised at how alive he was.”

She added, “I didn’t necessarily have a ton of expectations because I had never been to a maximum security prison before. But because I had my Godparents, I did have a sense of safety and peace. But I was just approaching him as this person that was trying to persevere through an injustice. So, I was very open-minded. I was just engaging with him. We even had such a good time connecting that we ended up playing a game of checkers.”

By the looks of it, turns out the game of checkers went to Maya Moore. However, the game of life? Well, it went to Jonathan Irons, who fell for the 2x Olympian.

Maya Moore through the lens of Jonathan Irons

After many conversations, exchanged messages, and time spent together, Irons started to show signs of his love for Moore. According to the Minnesota GOAT, “He teased me with a joke that made my heart jump in my chest. Hold up. That’s not something a brother says to a sister.” In later years, they became even more close. By 2017, Moore already knew what the two wanted but kept details of their love story behind the locked doors when she discussed Irons’ case with anyone.

But for the Missouri native, it was different from the very first meeting. He told Capehart how he was just a number in the prison and how the place was ruthless. But Moore was a different story. He continued, “Maya, she looked me in my eye and was just like I’m not concerned about that. You’re a person to me. I was just not used to that.” According to him, he felt blessed when Moore finally treated him like a person who could be seen.

On July 2, 2020, Maya Moore got Judge Daniel Green to re-examine Irons’ case. Consequently, Green ordered the case void and circumstantial, freeing Irons. He then popped the one question that every girl wants to hear from the love of her life and immediately said, “Yes!” The two walked down the aisle in 2022 and had Jonathan Hughston Irons Jr, their firstborn, in 2022.

Soon, Maya Moore announced her retirement from the WNBA, shattering the hopes of the Minnesota Lynx who awaited her for four long years. But as for herself and her family, it was indeed a happy ending. Or the beginning.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger