Cheryl Reeve took the podium at center court after the Minnesota Lynx’s 90-80 victory over the Indiana Fever on August 24. “The impact of Maya Moore,” she said, “is that Napheesa Collier got to dream of one day being like Maya Moore.”
As she concluded her speech honoring Moore, the camera panned to find a beaming Collier.
Shortly after that, the curtain dropped, revealing Moore’s iconic No. 23 hung in the rafters with the other four starters of the Lynx dynasty. Moore had been gleeful and stoic throughout the evening. However, she finally showed her emotions when she gave a heartfelt speech about love and appreciation, showing the night was about more than basketball. Maya’s speech capped off a Hollywood ending to a remarkable night for the Lynx organization and a memorable performance by Collier.
“I think it just happened that way,” Collier responded when I asked about her 31-point performance on August 24, affectionately known as Kobe Bryant Day, and Moore’s jersey retirement post-game.
“I didn’t go out and was like, ‘I need to show Maya I love her.’” Collier continued, “Having my two idols on a symbolic night was really fun.”
Really fun is probably an understatement. Led by Collier, the Lynx put together a dominant performance. The Fever scored the first two points of the game, but Minnesota took the lead and held it for the remaining 38 minutes and 36 seconds. Collier put together an impressive performance, scoring 31 points on the second night of a back-to-back.
“We have a game to win,” Collier told me after the game, “no one cares if you’re tired.”
Her 31 points came on a remarkably efficient 12 of 18 shooting, making her the first player in WNBA history to score 110+ points on 70% or better shooting over any four-game span. Collier’s 31 points are also tied for her season high in points, and she set it 22 hours after she had a career-high in rebounds in their 98-87 win over the Aces on Friday night. Collier’s greatness on Saturday also cemented her as the WNBA’s Player of the Week in a game where the Lynx clinched a playoff spot.
The win came in front of the second-highest Lynx attendance in team history: 19,023, fitting for Moore. Like Collier, Clark also played in front of her role model. “If you would have told me that as a young kid, I would be playing in the game that her jersey gets retired at, it’s very full circle for me,” Clark told reporters pregame. “She was my favorite player ever growing up.”
Clark wore the Lynx’s commemorative T-shirt honoring Moore during warmups before the game and was photographed with a look of awe during the ceremony. However, Clark seemed to struggle at times when Kayla McBride guarded her. Clark finished the game with 23 points, five rebounds, eight assists, and seven turnovers in the loss.
After the game, Clark shared her feelings about Collier, who may be the next Lynx player to have their jersey retired. “(Collier) is the staple of their team,” she said. “There were a few times she made a few shots, and I caught myself like, ‘Dang, can’t guard that, and I don’t really do that often.’”
After the ceremony was over and long after the crowd left the arena, I walked past the arena entrance. Moore and her inner circle were still standing at center court. Her number was in the rafters in the backdrop, and the lights dimmed. For years, Lynx fans wondered when Moore would return to the Lynx after stepping away from basketball to combat social justice and police reform.
Many fans thought she would run out of the tunnel in a Lynx jersey again. However, that day never came. Instead, Moore, like with most things in her life, had bigger ambitions than just playing basketball. Thanks to Moore and those big ambitions, the Lynx have Napheesa Collier, and the WNBA have Caitlyn Clark.
