Former UConn great Maya Moore has been named the 2020 Jack Kelly Fair Play Award winne.
Colorado Springs, Colo.–In recognition of her selfless act to defer her athletic career to pursue criminal justice reform, former UConn star Maya Moore has been named as the recipient of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s 2020 Jack Kelly Fair Play Award.
The Jack Kelly Fair Play Award, established in 1985, annually recognizes an athlete, team, coach or official for an outstanding act of fair play and sportsmanship. Moore, who won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016, made the decision in 2019 to step away from the court as a member of both the USA Basketball National Team and the Minnesota Lynx to focus on criminal justice reform and advocate for a wrongly convicted man, Jonathan Irons, who was successfully released from prison in July 2020. The couple was recently married and together, they continue the pursuit of justice, reform and educating on the critical role elected prosecutors play in our justice system through their organization, Win With Justice.
The award will be presented virtually as part of the 2020 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Assembly on Thursday, Oct. 8.
“USA Basketball is proud to have Maya Moore as a part of its family, and to see her honored by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee with the Jack Kelly Fair Play Award” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. “She has always been an incredible ambassador both on and off the court for the USA, and her integrity and commitment to everything she has done has been 100%, which was why none of us were surprised when she opted to step away from basketball and pursue the freedom of Jonathan Irons.”
“Maya Moore has been an integral part of the women’s national team program since 2006, and I can’t imagine anyone more deserving of this award than Maya,” said Carol Callan, USA Basketball Women’s National Team director. “She has always been strong in her convictions, never wavered between right and wrong, and her decision to step away from basketball was an incredibly selfless thing to do. I couldn’t be more proud that she is a part of the USA Basketball family and appreciate that the USOPC recognizes her work by presenting her with the Jack Kelly Fair Play Award.”
After being a member of three gold-medal winning USA junior teams from 2006-09, Moore was called up to the USA National Team in 2009 to participate in its fall training camp. Since officially being named to the USA National Team in 2010, Moore helped U.S. squads to gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World Cups (15-0) and 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games (16-0), while aidint the USA National Team to a 17-1 exhibition mark. In all, USA Basketball teams with Moore on the roster have compiled seven gold medals and an overall record of 51-0 in official international competitions.
Moore starred at the University of Connecticut where she captured a pair of NCAA titles in 2009 and 2010. She was the No. 1 selection in the 2011 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx, and she has helped lead the Lynx to the 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 WNBA championships.
–Staff Reports
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