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Maya Moore’s hard work recognized, Jonathan Irons set free (social reaction)

By Josh Hyber

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 13: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx talks after the press confernce on August 13, 2018 at the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Courts at Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 13: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx talks after the press confernce on August 13, 2018 at the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Courts at Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Maya Moore has won four WNBA championships and two Olympic golds. She’s a two-time EuroLeague champion and a two-time NCAA champion.

She’s a WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year.

But none compare to the victory she scored Wednesday.

The result of a years-long effort that included Moore sitting out the 2019 WNBA season, Jonathan Irons, 40, was released from Missouri’s Jefferson City Correctional Center after spending 22 years of a 50-year sentence wrongfully behind bars.

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In 1998 Irons, 18 at the time, was tried as an adult and convicted of burglary and assaulting a homeowner with a gun, a conviction that was overturned by a judge in March.

Moore and her family were in Missouri when Irons was released, and video of the moment has since gone viral.

After Irons embraced his family and friends, Moore — wearing a shirt that read “Justice Love Mercy Walk Humbly. Win With Justice.” — asked Irons how it felt to be free.

“Life,” he said. “I feel like I can live life now. I’m free. I’m blessed. I just want to live a life worthy of God’s help and influence. There’s reason in my life and he made this possible. I thank everybody that supported me — Maya and her family.

“To be home, to have somewhere to be home, I’m so grateful.”

Athletes across the sports spectrum weighed in with a barrage of admiration and congratulations.

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