Maya Moore wept with emotion.
"Did this really happen? We did it?"
In exchange for the chance to win this victory, Maya Moore, known as the "undefeated queen", spent two years of his career.
When she became the ultimate "victor" as she wished, a sense of unreality hits irresistibly, turning into tears into her eyes.
Maya Moore, she won freedom for the rest of her life for a man who has been in prison for 23 years.
This man is now her husband.
Data map: Maya Moore led the Shanxi women's basketball team to win the WCBA championship.
Photo by Zhang Yun issued by China News Service
The "vacuum" years of the "undefeated queen"
Maya Moore, the American media is accustomed to adding titles like "WNBA Star" before this name.
For Chinese fans, the experience of becoming teammates with Chinese female basketball player Shao Ting in the Minnesota Bobcats has shortened the distance between them and the superstar.
Despite this, fans are also more willing to call her another name-the undefeated queen.
Almost from the beginning of contact with basketball, Maya Moore is synonymous with victory.
She was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft. In the first season of the league, she helped the minnesota Bobcats win the first WNBA championship in team history. She won the best rookie of the year.
In 2011, Maya Moore was selected as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA.
In the following career, Maya Moore became the final winner of the season three times.
Not only that, she has successively included regular season MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star Game MVP and season scoring champion.
She had 4 championships in 8 years, and even some opponents called her "Michael Jordan of the WNBA."
But Maya Moore's interpretation of the identity of "victor" seems to be more full than "God of Basketball" Michael Jordan.
In college career, Maya Moore led Connecticut University to an amazing record of 150 wins and 4 losses, including an unimaginable 90 consecutive victories.
Since then, she has been marked by victory.
In college, Maya Moore led the team unbeaten for 90 consecutive games.
Maya-Moore not only became popular in the WNBA league, but also won Olympic gold medals with the US team twice in 2012 and 2016.
Her "undefeated" magic has even spread overseas. In 2012, she helped the Barcelona women's basketball team win the La Liga and UEFA Champions League double titles.
In 2013, Maya Moore stepped onto the WCBA arena. She helped the Shanxi women's basketball team, who had just joined the WCBA, to win the championship in the first season, and defended the championship for the next two years, winning three consecutive championships.
In her eight-year career, the "undefeated queen" has never returned empty-handed in a year, and her victory symbols are also written in Asia, Europe and America.
Maya Moore led the Shanxi women's basketball team to achieve three consecutive WCBA championships.
It is not difficult to find that all the records of the "undefeated queen" stayed in 2018-at the age when she should have continued her peak state, she stopped.
Behind the "vacuum" of honor, she ran for two years, just to help a man who had been in prison for 23 years regain his freedom.
In early 2019, she wrote in a publicly published letter: “There are many different ways to measure success... In 2019, my focus will not be on professional basketball, but on my family and A dream that has stirred my heart for many years."
And this dream came from an encounter when she was 18.
When Maya Moore was 18, she first met Jonathan Irons in prison.
When 18 years old meet 18 years old
At the age of 16, Maya Moore completed her first dunk in her life.
Later in life, what awaits her will be continuous victories and honors.
Also at the age of 16, Jonathan Irons ushered in a turning point that changed his life. After 23 years of age, he never breathed free air.
In January 1997, someone infiltrated the lonely white Stanley Stoller’s home in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri. Unfortunately, Stoller returned home at this time. The thief pulled the trigger at him and shot him in the arm. A shot hit the head.
Stoller managed to escape. During the inquiry by the US police, Stoller was unable to provide information about the criminal's appearance.
The police then provided him with 6 photos and asked the victim to make a guess.
At the age of 16, Irons was arrested and imprisoned.
Stoller selected Irons and another African American in the photo.
In subsequent hearings, Irons was identified as the assailant, although there was no DNA, fingerprints or other strong evidence that could link the 16-year-old to the crime.
US media reported that in the trial at the time, the victim Stoller clearly identified Irons as the attacker twice, one time when the latter was wearing a prison uniform, and the other time when he was sitting in defense. Next to the lawyer.
According to the report, the prosecutor said that the main basis for convicting Irons was that he had confessed to the interrogating police.
But Irons never admitted this. Not only that. For the interrogation at the time, the police officer in question stated that no audio or video was left. As for the interrogation record, the police stated that they "have already thrown it away."
After Irons was arrested, the prosecution had no strong evidence to prove that he was the attacker.
At the same time, the prosecution defender did not allow Irons to stand up and defend his innocence, on the grounds that "he is too young and has not received education."
In this way, the young, uneducated Irons was finally found guilty by a jury composed of all white people and sentenced to 50 years in prison. At that time, he was 18 years old.
The life of a black boy was imprisoned.
In prison, Irons studied actively and performed well, and was rewarded by the prison department.
But he himself has insisted that he will not accept parole because "this means he must first confess his guilt for what he has not done."
Perhaps in his heart, he is ready to spend 50 years in prison.
At the age of 18, Irons was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
But in 2007, nine years after being jailed, the 27-year-old Irons and the 18-year-old Maya Moore met in a prison aid project.
Moore was extremely surprised. She was not only surprised at such obvious misjudgments, but also because Jonathan had already begun to endure these hardships at a similar age.
What she didn't expect was that this encounter rewritten the lives of the two of them.
Maya Moore met Irons in prison for the first time when she was 18 years old, and the two have kept in touch since then.
From "prison lover" to close comrade
At the beginning of the 21st century, Maya Moore's relatives met Irons during prison activities.
In 2007, when Moore, who was about to enter college, visited his family in Missouri, he met Irons in prison with them, and the two met.
In the following years, Moore gradually won the title of "undefeated queen" on the court, but off the court, she still kept in touch with Irons and visited frequently.
For more than ten years, the relationship between the two has been like relatives.
Moore would send Irons his favorite author's book and talk to him on the phone before participating in major competitions.
According to local media reports, there were many incidents of unjust deaths of blacks due to improper police enforcement in the United States in 2016. Maya Moore, who worked for the Bobcats at the time, took the lead.
It was also at that time that she talked publicly about her friend Irons for the first time and was determined to run for him.
In 2019, Moore decided to suspend his basketball career and concentrate on helping Irons because his appeal is about to be heard.
Irons may have a chance to prove his innocence.
Moore personally visited the scene of the crime.
This is a difficult and long road, but Maya Moore is actively involved in it.
She filmed documentaries, sought support from the prosecution, and helped Jonathan hire a well-known lawyer. Moore personally participated in every hearing and used her influence to speak out for Irons.
Earlier this year, Maya Moore announced that she would continue to suspend her basketball career, which means that the 32-year-old may miss the final peak of her career and will also miss the third opportunity to play for the country in the Olympics.
But it turns out that everything is worth it.
According to the report, during the retrial process, the defense found a fingerprint on the door of the crime scene that neither belonged to the owner nor belonged to Irons.
Relying on this strong proof, in March this year, the judge overturned the original judgment, and the prosecution also approved the ruling after two appeals were rejected, and Irons was finally able to regain his freedom.
In March this year, the court officially sentenced Irons not guilty.
In July, when Irons walked out of prison with his innocence, 23 years had passed since his arrest.
At that moment, Moore, who was waiting outside the prison, was too excited to stand, and knelt on the ground.
After that, Irons hugged Moore vigorously—the two had fallen in love with each other a long time ago during the communication for more than ten years.
"We are very excited. We will continue to engage in the work we have been dedicated to. The difference is that we will do this in the name of husband and wife."
The moment Irons walked out of the prison, Moore knelt with excitement.
In mid-September, the regained Irons appeared on the TV show with Moore, and shared the news of their marriage to the outside world.
The "Undefeated Queen" and "Prisoner", basketball superstars and unknown men, firmly held each other's hands.
This combination will naturally not be easy, so Irons once backed down when friendship developed into love.
"I want to marry her, but at the same time, I have to protect her and have feelings with a man in prison, which will make her miserable. I don't want her to feel bound. In this relationship, if she feels pressure , Or it’s too heavy for her, she can quit at any time and find someone else.” Irons knew that he was still in jail, and it was unfair to put pressure on Moore under such circumstances.
But in the end, love won out.
Maya Moore posted her wedding photos on personal social media.
While still in prison, Irons proposed to Moore, but he did not want her to answer immediately.
Because he didn't want Moore to be the wife of a prisoner.
Irons hopes that when he is truly free, Moore will tell him the answer.
Fortunately, neither of them waited long.
After regaining his freedom, Moore quickly agreed to Irons' proposal and held a small wedding with the blessing of relatives and friends.
In the coming days, the former "prison lover" will fight alongside Maya Moore in a more intimate manner:
Although there is no way to regain the 23 years lost in prison, Irons decided to use his experience to help more people;
Maya Moore also stated that she has no plans to return to professional basketball. She wants to continue this journey and continue to fight for the justice and black rights in the United States.
The difference is that she will no longer travel alone on the next journey.
Sheryl Reeve, head coach and general manager of the Minnesota Bobcats, praised Moore: "I'm sure she must be the most valuable player in this victory. But this time she won not a trophy that represents victory. , But to allow a black man who had been wrongly convicted to walk freely on American soil again.” (Li He)