Entertainment

Maya Moore Is a WNBA Superstar & Potential ESPY Winner So You Should Probably Worship Her Already

It’s tough to be a female basketball player in a sport where all the glory goes to men, but this WNBA star could take on any man (or anyone, for that matter) and probably beat them. Maya Moore, the 6’0” Minnesota Lynx player and age 25, she may just be the best woman in the WNBA right now — she’s got the stats to prove it. She has more basketball honors than many of her male contemporaries do and will hopefully be honored with an award at the at the 2014 ESPY Awards, where she is nominated for Best Female Athlete and Best WNBA Player.

Before you settle into your seats for the awards on Wednesday night, you should know a little something about Maya, her career, and why you should vote for her in her respective categories.

by Lindsey Kupfer

SHE'S A UCONN ALLSTAR

Even before joining the WNBA, Moore was busy making the UCONN women’s basketball team the best in the nation. She lead them to two NCAA Championships and led UCONN 150-4 games over the four years she was a part of the team. Also over those four years she scored a total of 3,036 points, making her the fourth highest scorer in NCAA history. She won over 50 awards in college, including an ESPY for Top Female College Athlete.

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…AND AN OLYMPIC ATHLETE

Maya Moore represented the US in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where she helped Team USA take home a Gold Medal.

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AND LET’S NOT FORGET HER WNBA CHAMPIONSHIPS

It’s no surprise that this all star was the first round draft pick out of college. She landed with the Minnesota Lynx and in 2011, just five months out of college she took the team to the finals, winning them their first ever WNBA Championship. In 2013, Moore again brought her team to victory sweeping the finals and was named MVP.

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SHE'S VERY RELIGIOUS

Moore is Christian and heavily involved with her faith. Moore’s Twitter page is sprinkled with inspirational quotes and bible verses. In 2012, before she went to the olympics in London, she told the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, “Every year that goes by, the Lord outdoes Himself. I’m just trying to do my best to make the most out of each of the doors He opens.”

Image: Twitter/MooreMaya

EVEN MICHAEL JORDAN LOVES HER

Arguably the best basketball player of our time wants her on his team. Moore was honored by Jordan when she became the first female basketball player representing the Jordan Brand.

Image: Instagram/MooreMaya

DON’T FORGET OBAMA TOO…

In 2010, Obama hand-picked a team of basketball players to play a game for wounded troops. Since then she’s been to the White House five times for various reasons, including her Olympic Gold win. Obama even made a comment about her numerous White House visits, ”Basically, there’s like a Maya Moore wing in the White House. When she comes, we’ve got all her stuff here. She’s got a toothbrush.”

Image: Instagram/MooreMaya

AND SHE’S A GIRLY GIRL

In an interview with Seventeen she admitted that she has a MAC makeup addiction. “I love MAC products,” she told the mag. “I always have my eyeliner. Eyeliner changes everything! I also think a little lip-gloss or lipstick can brighten up your whole look.”

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SHE’S A MUSICIAN AT HEART

Moore has a hidden hobby. She plays the drums! On top of her exceptional b-ball skills, when she was nine years old, she bought herself a drum set and has been playing ever since. Although she never played in a school band, she told Sports Illustrated Kids that if she could do anything else, she would play the drums.

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SHE'S AN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS HERO

Between her two American championship wins, Moore left the US and joined the WCBA (Women’s Chinese Basketball Association), because traveling the world and playing basketball is the coolest job ever. She led the Shanxi Xing Rui Flame to the championship two years in a row. Okay, she actually is the coolest person.

Image: Twitter/MooreMaya

AND SHE JUST LOVES "SAVED BY THE BELL"

Which makes her ah-mazing.

She Tweeted: “Just ran into @mrbelding in the CT airport…he’s a husky fan :-) & now a @minnesotalynx fan”

Image: Twitter/MooreMaya

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