All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Maya Moore, the Minnesota Lynx number one draft pick. Moore says she's happy to be in the WNBA and in Minnesota. She shares a bit of her journey to this point and on community matters.
As the Minnesota Lynx open their 2011 season, few of the WNBA ballclub's 13 seasons have been as anticipated as this one. The biggest reason for hope is the addition of Maya Moore to the team. She graduated from the University of the Connecticut with 2 championships and 3 player-of-the-year awards. She's widely considered a superstar in the making, maybe even the future face of the league.
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MAYA MOORE: Well, I'm really excited to be here. It's a dream come true to finally be playing at the professional level here in the US. The game is different from the college level. Everyone is bigger, quicker, stronger.
So I have to work that much harder to be able to put myself in a position to be successful at this level. But I love the challenge of it. I feel like I'm getting a hang of it every day in practice. And I've got great teammates that are very encouraging and push me as well.
INTERVIEWER: Now, I understand an uncle gave you a WNBA ball when you were just eight years old, is that correct?
MAYA MOORE: Yeah. It was one of the Christmases when I was living back in Missouri. I believe I was like eight years old, same year the WNBA started, '97. I was one of those little kids that loved every gift that they got; even if it was a rock, I would love it.
But there was something special about that ball. I carried it around with me every AAU tournament I went to, every high school game. And there was just always the connection to the WNBA and knowing I could have a future as a professional athlete.
INTERVIEWER: And when did you know that you wanted to pursue this path? Be a WNBA player specifically for a living, as opposed to, let's say, playing overseas? Because a lot of players make a lot of money overseas.
MAYA MOORE: I think around middle school, it was probably starting to set in. You start thinking about what you want to be and not really realizing a lot of the opportunities overseas. I always just dreamed about the WNBA. And then, as I got a little bit older in high school, thinking about maybe overseas being a possibility as well. But definitely, WNBA was always-- was there since I started playing.
INTERVIEWER: I read a commentary you wrote for the Huffington Post. You talked about the role of collective bargaining and players getting their value of the profits out of the organization, whether that's the NBA or the WNBA. And you also talked about it in the pros; it's about building an individual brand for a successful player. What's the Maya Moore brand?
MAYA MOORE: I really take a lot of thought into how I come across to people, how I am seen. I always want to be seen as someone who's full of life, full of passion for the game. That people just see joy when I'm playing; see a competitor, but also someone who is very mindful of others and likes to have fun too.
So there's an on-the-court, off-the-court side of it as there is to everyone. And I just hope people, when they walk away from me, just feel encouraged and excited about basketball.
INTERVIEWER: This week, I understand the team took some time to do some volunteer work in North Minneapolis after the tornado. How important is it for you to be involved in this community here?
MAYA MOORE: It's very important, and not only for professional athletes. I think any citizen. Where you live, you want to be involved. You don't want to be isolated and live in your own little world. You always want to step out into the environment.
It's the same way I try to be as a teammate. If I see one of my teammates hurting or if I see a weakness in our team, I want to gravitate towards it to try to help. So the same thing in our community. When we see other people hurting because of tornadoes or other natural disasters or anything, if we have an opportunity, we want to reach out and connect. And I think that's first and foremost. And if we get fans out of it, great. If not, we know we helped somebody smile that day.
INTERVIEWER: What are you looking forward to most as the season opens?
MAYA MOORE: Just playing. I just want to play. I've been waiting for this season for a long time. So I just want to get on the court and play.
INTERVIEWER: Maya Moore, thank you very much.
MAYA MOORE: Thank you, guys.
INTERVIEWER: Minnesota Lynx rookie, Maya Moore. The Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA open their season tonight. It's a 10:00 PM central game in Los Angeles. That game will be cablecast by NBA TV. They played their home opener again against Los Angeles Sunday afternoon at 2:30.