Damon Brooks Jr.
Former WNBA star Maya Moore and husband Jonathan Irons revealed that they extended their family by welcoming a baby boy, Jonathan Jr., in February, the pair announced on Tuesday’s Good Morning America.
Moore and Irons married in 2020, shortly after Irons was released after serving 23 years in prison. Irons’ story went viral after his 1998 conviction was overturned in March 2020, with the support of Moore and her family.
She told the GMA staff that she is thrilled with the opportunity to become a mother and so excited to share this moment with Irons.
“Introducing JJ was one of the proudest days of my life. To witness that Jonathan is an invaluable father.” Moore said via her Instagram account.
Britney Greiner: Letter from imprisoned WNBA pens to President Biden asking for help
Sports newsletter: Subscribe now to get daily updates sent to your inbox
Moore, who won four WNBA Championships with the Minnesota Lynx as well as the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2014, halted her decorated career in 2019 to call for the Irons’ firing due to a wrongful conviction.
In 1998, the then 16-year-old Irons was tried and convicted as an adult for burglary and shooting at the home of Stanley Stutler, who escaped the crime after being shot in the right temple and right arm. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Police have not discovered any fingerprints, DNA or blood that could link Al-Hadid to the crime.
“It was hard[to walk away],” Moore said on NBC Nightly News in 2020. “But when your convictions take you to a place that you know is right and you move on to something really meaningful.” less difficult. “
The two met through the prison department she became involved with an extended family in Missouri while she was playing with Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies. Moore and Irons built a strong friendship, while Moore learned the details of his case.
In March 2020, a Missouri judge said the case against Irons was “extremely weak and circumstantial at best” in a court order. The lead attorney general refused to reconsider his case and Irons was eventually released.
Moore and Irons appeared on “Good Morning America” in September 2020 to reveal that they had married.
