WNBA Legend Delivers Sobering Warning About Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers & Others’ Path During HoF Speech

Under the bright draft day lights, you can almost hear the players whisper, ‘there’s no better place they’d rather be’. It’s a culmination of every minute spent in the gym over the past 20 years; every minute spent vying for a jersey. But in coming back to reality, the story doesn’t end when the dream comes true. For every rookie’s “I’m excited,” there’s also A’ja Wilson’s “It can get exhausting having to show up every single day.” Life hits, challenges pile up, and who better to offer the surviving formula than WNBA legend Maya Moore herself?

For every year of her nearly a decade-long career, the Minnesota Lynx icon has been known as one of the greats of the game, universally respected. Drafted in 2011, she took her team from forgettable to 4x champions in the span of 7 years. Her coach, Cheryl Reeve, explains the reason well: “When we say Maya is a winner, you do winning things… You have a confidence, certainly have an ego, but you understand how much you need people around you. And that was very much Maya.” Now, as she rightfully gets inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Moore is asking the newbies to take a page out of that book.

During her speech on Saturday night, the 6x All-Star opened up about the challenges new players could face on their own paths and what it truly takes to sustain greatness at every level.

“With insecurities and fears as you navigate your sports journey, you have to figure out what motivates you every day when you get up out of bed. And there’s a lot of pressure, I think, to be motivated by fear and approach your team and your teammates that way. Fear of sharing the spotlight, fear of looking bad, fear of having to wait your turn and losing out on money. That’s a lot of pressure. I get it,” she started. “But I want to challenge you. Up and comers to learn to love and seek out joy and connection as your biggest motivator.”

When the journey got discouraging, which Moore believes is a part of life, it’s the people around her she turned towards. And the culture at UConn and the Lynx only made it so much easier to believe. In both teams’ ” we’re going to do what we do for each other, and it’s going to be great,” motto, Moore believes the winning formula lies. So for younger stars, it isn’t the focus on individual stats that she is preaching, but rather surrounding themselves with the right atmosphere.

“The joy of helping someone else get better. Seeing them shine at what they’re good at. The joy of having people around you that believe in you and you believe in them. Seek that culture out. Be a part of that culture. I’m confident you won’t regret it,” Moore added.

Navigating the professional journey is no easy task. Caitlin Clark has felt the wrath in physicality, pace, and tight schedules, while Paige Bueckers was forced to admit how the debut was “hard” and there was no denying it would get harder. Moreover, with the expectations they carry, there’s little room for error, building on that pressure. So those who have lived through very similar circumstances know Moore’s words are not empty. Aces star player, A’ja Wilson, hasn’t shied away from admitting, “On a lot of days where I don’t feel myself, I could come to the gym and count on them [teammates].” 

It’s true that reaching your dreams isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, but it doesn’t need to be all gloomy, either. The younger generation is catching on to it in, Bueckers’ mother-daughter dynamic with DiJonai Carrington and Clark’s Tres Leches involving Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull.

Caitlin Clark Reflects on Maya Moore and Her Impact

For countless kids growing up, seeing Maya Moore on the court was everything. Caitlin Clark was no different. “I just ran up to [Maya Moore] and just gave her a hug. That was one of the most pivotal moments of my entire basketball career… That meant the world to me.”

When Moore’s No. 23 jersey was retired, Clark showed up wearing a 23 Moore jersey to pay her respects, later calling it a full-circle moment. “If you would’ve told me as a young kid that I’d be playing in the game that her jersey is retired at, it’s kinda full circle for me too. She was my favorite player ever growing up and that was who I loved watching. She was like my LeBron James as a kid. To just be in the building that night and to say I got to play in that game is super cool,” she said.

You can clearly see the impact Moore has had on the younger generation, even after retiring relatively early. It’s impossible not to wonder what kind of career she could have had if she’d kept playing. Regardless, one thing is certain– the younger generation will pay attention to what she shared during her Hall of Fame speech, and we may very well see future Hall of Famers shaped by her words.