Christian athlete turned activist, Maya Moore, marries man she helped free from wrongful conviction
Article By Nancy Harlow // EEW Magazine Online // Love & Marriage
Surprise! Christian basketball star turned activist Maya Moore has wed the love her life, Jonathan Irons – also the man she helped free from a prison sentence stemming from a wrongful conviction 23 years ago.
The newlywed pair stopped by "Good Morning America" Wednesday to share the good news and reveal exclusive details of their beautiful romance that began as a friendship.
Congratulations! Maya Moore and Jonathan Irons are happily married
(Credit: Instagram/mooremaya)
"We wanted to announce today that we are super excited to continue the work that we are doing together but doing it as a married couple," Moore said in an interview with “GMA” anchor Robin Roberts. "We got married a couple months ago, and we're excited to just continue this new chapter of life together.”
The two exchanged vows just months after a judge overturned Irons’ 1997 burglary and assault conviction thanks to Moore stepping away from her successful WNBA career to fight for her longtime family friend, now husband.
Their big day was celebrated by their closest family and friends in the middle of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, where Moore said all guests were masked and socially-distanced. Now that they have privately had time to process and bask in their new married status, they are ready to publicly open up about their journey to the altar.
Maya Moore and Jonathan Irons appear on "Good Morning America," Sept. 16, 2020.
(Credit: GMA)
"Over the last 13 years we have just developed a friendship and just entered into this huge battle to get him home and just over time, it was pretty clear what the Lord was doing in our hearts, and now we're sitting here today starting a whole new chapter together," said Moore, 31, who met her spouse through a prison ministry program when she was 18.
At the time, neither of them suspected the plans God had for them.
According to Moore, while Irons was serving his sentence at Jefferson City Correctional Center, he professed his love and desire to marry her, but he told her, “Don't answer right now."
"I wanted to marry her but at the same time protect her, because being in a relationship with a man in prison, it's extremely difficult and painful,” said Irons.
He said he didn’t want Moore to “feel trapped” and gave her an out, saying, “If this is too much for you, go and find somebody. Live your life. Because this is hard."
As difficult as the battle for freedom was, Moore never gave up. In March, Cole County Judge Dan Green found that the defense for Irons provided enough evidence to prove a then 16-year-old Irons was wrongfully convicted by an all-white jury and was serving an unfair 50-year prison sentence for the non-fatal shooting of 38-year-old Stanley Stotler, a homeowner in the St. Louis area.
Credit: Julia Hansen/ The New York Times
When Irons, 40, was released from prison, he dropped down on one knee and popped the question.
"When I got out, we were in the hotel room. We had some friends in the room. It was winding down, and we were extremely tired, but we were still gassed up on excitement," Irons said. "It was just me and her in the room, and I got down on my knees, and I looked up at her, and she kind of knew what was going on, and I said, 'Will you marry me?’ She said, ‘Yes.'"
So, what’s next for Moore? Will the new Mrs. Irons be returning to the basketball court any time soon?
“Right now, I am trying to really just breathe from this long, long battle and enjoy and rest,’ she said. “There's a lot of unknowns for a lot of us right now, so I'm still in that camp."
