KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus gave the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony a big Minnesota feel.
Moore and Augustus helped the Lynx win four WNBA championships during their time with the team.
“It's hard to think of any other dynasty that I've played for on the court and in the league that has a better combination of talent, character and tangible chemistry,” Moore said Saturday night.
Mr. Augustus, who peppered his speech with plenty of humor, said simply: “We want to win again and again.”
The pair also led the U.S. to Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016, and Augustus was also part of the 2008 team.
Other inductees include former players Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Rita Gail Easterling, who played their final two years with the Lynx. She is a former official, Violet Palmer, and the first woman to officiate an NBA game. and coaches Sue Phillips and Rooney Scovell.
The Hall of Fame also recognized Cheyney University (formerly Cheney State University) as a “Pioneer of the Game” honoree. This team, led by former Iowa and Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer, was his first and only HBCU to advance to the NCAA Tournament championship game in 1982.
Former player Valerie Walker asked why it took so long for the team to be recognized.
“I'm very grateful, but 42 years?” she said.
She brought up that the uniforms sold at the Final Four featured only three teams, and did not mention Cheyney State.
“If you really want to understand and know the history of the Women's NCAA Championship, you have to go back to the first year,” Walker said.
The Afghanistan Resettlement Program received the “For the Love of the Game” award.
Moore officially retired from basketball in January, five years after his last game with the Lynx. Between her last fight and her retirement announcement, Moore helped overturn her now-husband Jonathan Irons' 50-year prison sentence and win her release in 2020.
She had a 150-4 record during her UConn career. A two-time AP Player of the Year and a four-time All-American, he played a key role in the Huskies' 90-game winning streak, the longest streak in history until the school won 111 games a few years later. became.
Augustus was drafted No. 1 by the Lynx in 2006 after winning back-to-back AP Player of the Year awards during his time at LSU. She led the Tigers to the Final Four from 2004 to 2006.
McWilliams-Franklin played on the 2011 Lynx team along with Moore and Augustus. She previously won WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008.
Easterling played at the University of Mississippi from 1973 to 1977, helping the team win the 1974 AIAW National Championship. She also had her brief career in the Women's Professional Basketball League, the precursor to the WNBA.
Phillips compiled a 761-165 record as a high school coach at Archbishop Mitty High School in California. She was a major part of the U.S. basketball community, coaching many gold medal-winning youth teams.
Scovell won six junior college national titles as coach at Gulf Coast State University in Florida. She had 646 wins and 91 losses.
Palmer has officiated at nearly every level, including the NBA, WNBA and women's college basketball. She made history in 1997 when she became the first woman to officiate an NBA game.
It was the 25th anniversary of his induction into the Hall of Fame.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball