When Maya Moore decided to step away from the WNBA in 2019 in order to fight for criminal justice reform, little did we know she was also fighting for love.
On Wednesday, the WNBA superstar announced on Good Morning America that Jonathan Irons, who she helped to regain his freedom after serving 22 years for a wrongful conviction, is now her husband.
“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. “We got married a couple months ago and we’re excited to just continue this new chapter of life together.”
As we previously reported at The Root, Moore was on hand in July when Irons was finally released from prison.
“I feel like I can live life now,” Irons said in a video that Moore posted on Instagram, after capturing his first taste of freedom. “I’m free, I’m blessed, I just want to live my life worthy of God’s help and influence.”
“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,” she said on Good Morning America.
Prior to exchanging vows after his release from prison, Irons said that he tried his best to remain friends, as not to burden Moore with the challenges that come with being with a person behind bars.
“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,” he said. “And I didn’t want her to feel trapped and I wanted her to feel open and have the ability any time if this is too much for you, go and find somebody. Live your life. Because this is hard.”
Thankfully they were able to overcome those obstacles and can now pour themselves into not only their continued pursuit of criminal justice reform but each other.
“Hopefully I can continue to do and whatever else, you know, that we can contribute to the fight because it’s a big fight and the more hands involved makes the work easier,” Irons said. “So we’re doing our part.”
Congrats to the newlyweds.