Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson, Seimone Augustus, and Sylvia Fowles. The quartet signified the glorious status of the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA. And fittingly, the franchise found the best way to honor their contributions by retiring their respective jerseys. Now, this illustrious list is graced with the presence of another iconic Lynx name. The UConn alum Maya Moore.

A 1st overall pick in the 2011 WNBA drafts, the 6× WNBA All-Star has been instrumental in making Minnesota a powerhouse in the WNBA. This can be reflected by the fact that the Lynx was crowned the champions for the 4 times during her stay. Indeed, that is compelling grounds for any franchise to extend the ultimate distinction. That in a way becomes intriguing to have a look at what the legendary No. 23 was able to accomplish as a pro.

Maya Moore tops the charts with Minnesota

A total of 3,036 points with the Huskies was enough to pave the way for Maya Moore’s advent into the WNBA. So, it wasn’t a tough decision for the team management to make her a starter from the go. Made an appearance in a total of 34 games, the first rookie to do that by the way, she compiled 13.2 ppg, to go along with 4.6 rpg and 2.6 apg in an average of 28 minutes spent on the court.

However, the highlight of her campaign became the exemplary shooting from beyond the arc. And that too in the final 14 games. An accuracy of 45.5% (30-for-66) became one of the contributing factors in her getting the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and leading Minnesota to their first-ever WNBA title.

Following this, she became the only Lynx player to start all 34 games in the 2012 season. She then became only the second player after Tamika Catchings to rank inside the league’s top 30 in all nine major categories. On top of that, her 73 treys are the second most by a Lynx player after Katie Smith’s tally of 78 set in 2003.

She followed it up in the subsequent season with 72 treys and also led the league in both three-pointers made and three-point accuracy in the same season. The first WNBA athlete to do so. Moreover, her average of 18.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3 assists per game handed the Lynx their 2nd WNBA championship.

A career-high and franchise-record 23.9 ppg along with a career-best 8.1 rpg and 3.4 apg was enough to make her the Most Valuable Player in 2014. In addition to this, against Atlanta, she overtook Katie Smith’s mark of 46 by delivering a club-record 48 points. After this, Moore joined Smith (2001) and Taurasi (2006) as the only WNBA players to go past 40+ points on two occasions in the same season.

A second 30-point/10-rebound (38 points) performance at Tulsa made Maya Moore only the third player after Candace Parker and Lauren Jackson to repeat such a feat.

A third WNBA title awaited Maya Moore and the Lynx in 2015. On top of that, her average of 20.6 ppg (2nd), 6.7 rpg (8th) and 3.5 apg (8th) confirmed Moore as the only player to make it to the top 10 in all 3 categories. Additionally, she also surpassed the 3000-career-point mark at San Antonio.

This led her to her final 2 seasons with the Lynx, one of which was a triumphant one again.

Moore’s last dance

For the 4th time in her career, Maya Moore got her hands on the WNBA trophy in 2017. The season ended with her finishing the league at the summit position in the franchise’s all-time list of treys. Her total of 461 surpassed Katie Smith’s 460 in a game against Chicago. Also, her 23 points in the 2017 All-Star Game garnered her with an MVP honor.

Following this, her final season with the Lynx saw her start in 34 games yet again. She capped off her 8th season at Minnesota garnering 18 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest. This was along with shooting 42.3% from the floor and 36.5% from beyond the arc. Also, her average of 1.7 steals per contest ranked first in the league and she finished 9th overall in points-per-game.

Truly an inspirational career by Maya Moore. Her numbers are a testament to how perfectly she was able to execute her skills. And fittingly the Lynx have chosen to reward her in the best way possible. It will be quite difficult for anyone to repeat what she accomplished for the franchise.

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