3 WNBA Legends to Hall of Fame: Inside Sue Bird, Maya Moore & Sylvia Fowles’ Historic Night

To be so legendary that even the weather gods had to bow!

For an hour in Springfield, the skies unleashed everything. Rain refused to let up, even warnings of a tornado stretched across the city. Yet, just when Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles stood ready for their place among basketball’s immortals, the clouds pulled back and by evening rays of sunlight poured in. Almost….as if the universe knew exactly what was unfolding.

After all, the Hall of Fame was opening its doors to women who carried generations, who changed the game, and who weathered storms far greater than the one above their heads. 

Welcome to the Hall, Maya, Sue & Sylvia!

The three greats made one of the most dominant Hall of Fame classes in history. Collectively, they carry 11 Olympic gold medals and 10 WNBA championships. Individually, their resumes speak volumes.

Maya Moore: Two NCAA championships (both undefeated seasons) while helping UConn achieve an NCAA-record 90-game win streak. With the Minnesota Lynx, she captured four WNBA titles, earning Finals MVP, WNBA MVP, Rookie of the Year, seven All-WNBA selections, six All-Star nods, and two Olympic golds.

Sue Bird: Two NCAA championships with a flawless 39–0 NCAA Tournament record. Over 19 seasons with the Seattle Storm (the longest tenure with a single WNBA team) she won four championships, earned eight All-WNBA selections, and set league records in assists (3,234), games played (580), minutes played, and All-Star appearances (13). She also collected five Olympic gold medals.

Sylvia Fowles: The anchor who led LSU to four straight NCAA Final Four appearances before a 14-year pro career. She won two WNBA championships with the Lynx, earning Finals MVP both times, and added one league MVP, four Defensive Player of the Year awards, 11 All-Defensive nods, eight All-WNBA selections, and four Olympic golds. She retired as the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder before Tina Charles surpassed her mark.

Rightfully, they took their place among basketball’s bests.

The Night Maya, Sue & Sylvia Entered the Hall of Fame

The Class of 2025, already star-studded with NBA greats Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and the 2008 U.S. men’s Olympic team, will forever be remembered for another reason….it was the first to feature three women!

The celebrations began on Friday when the inductees received Hall of Fame jackets, each one stitched with greatness. They took the chance to flaunt their ‘drip’:

Yet, more than anything, the real magic for the three was in sharing this moment together. Their paths had crossed too many times to count. Moore and Fowles dominated side by side in Minnesota, collecting championships with the Lynx. Bird and Moore share the UConn bond. Bird and Fowles united for overseas teams. All three logged countless battles on opposite ends of the floor. And together, they brought home Olympic gold, becoming part of each other’s history long before Springfield.

“That’s absolutely one of my highlights, going in with Syl and Sue,” Maya said. Bird added, “It is pretty special to go in with people who aren’t just amazing players, having impact on and off the court, but these are players that I got to experience life with.”

The Big Day

Saturday’s enshrinement ceremony unfolded at Symphony Hall, with a star-studded crowd that included LeBron James, Tara VanDerveer, Adam Silver, and Shaquille O’Neal. And when Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, and Maya Moore took the stage, the contrast in how they entered and spoke couldn’t have been clearer. 

Different personalities, different journeys, yet bound by the same vision of what the game has meant to them, and what they’ve given back to it! 

Bird is still a part, serving as the managing director of women’s basketball for USA Basketball. The legendary point guard arrived on the red carpet with her fiancée, Megan Rapinoe, and was presented by her UConn coach Geno Auriemma and former teammate Swin Cash.  Her speech emphasized the power of belonging, sprinkled with playful jabs at Auriemma.

“Coach Auriemma, all those years ago, you gave me the most important advice I’ve ever received. I mean, I guess you gave a lot of advice because you talk a lot, but this is the one I remember,” Bird joked, before turning serious, calling the Hall “the ultimate place of belonging” and thanking her teammates for always making her feel at home.

Fowles, on the other hand, is the quiet storm. After retirement, she has leaned into peace. Her days are now filled with knitting, crocheting, bike rides, and baking in Miami. Minnesota has kept an official role open for her, but for now, she’s embracing her slow life. Presented by her Lynx teammates Katie Smith and Lindsey Whalen, Fowles was the first one to be inducted and opened her speech with a grin and a line, “To the Minnesota Lynx, da-n, we did that.” She thanked her coaches, teammates, family and everyone who helped her along the way, showing the kindness she is known for.

And then there was Moore. Unlike Bird and Fowles, her path to the Hall was unlike anything the sport had seen. In 2019, she stepped away from basketball at the height of her career to focus on her ministry and fight for justice. She helped free Jonathan Irons, now her husband, from a wrongful conviction.

Two years later, they welcomed a son, and by 2023, Moore had officially retired, dedicating her life to social justice. Yet, in her short but dazzling career, she achieved enough to stand among the greats. Walking the red carpet with Irons, Moore was presented by Auriemma, Cash, and her Lynx teammates Seimone Augustus, Tamika Catchings, and Whalen.

In her speech, she reflected on how UConn taught her the value of being a teammate and a message for future generations from “Auntie Maya.”  “Figure out what motivates you every day you get out of bed,” Moore said. “I want to challenge you up and comers, every day to seek out joy and connection. She also highlighted how she has absolutely zero regrets.  “I played so much basketball, I can’t be greedy,” she said. “I’m glad I was able to accomplish that for those years.”

Three different women. Three different journeys. But together, they represented a single truth that greatness is not just measured in points, wins, or trophies, but in the lives touched, the barriers broken, and the communities built. 

Or as Bird summed it up perfectly, “This Hall of Fame induction isn’t just about individual achievement. It’s about joining a community where I’ll always belong. A belonging that can never be taken away.”

And if history has shown us anything, the next legend ready to join that community, we believe, will be Diana Taurasi.