KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus gave the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony a huge Minnesota vibe.
Moore and Augustus helped the Lynx win four WNBA championships during their time with the team.
“I’m hard-pressed to think of another dynasty that would have a better combination of talent, character and chemistry visible on the field and on the teams in the league that I’ve played for,” Moore said Saturday night .
Auguste, who sprinkled his speech with a lot of humor, said it simply: “We like to win and win a lot.”
The duo also led the United States to Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016, while Augustus was also part of the 2008 team.
Other inductees included former players Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who played his final two years with the Lynx, and Rita Gail Easterling; former official Violet Palmer, the first woman to referee an NBA game; and coaches Sue Phillips and Roonie Scovel.
The Hall of Fame also recognized Cheyney University – formerly Cheyney State – as a “Trailblazer of the Game” recipient. The team, led by former Iowa and Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer, was the first and only HBCU to reach the championship game of the NCAA tournament, in 1982.
Former player Valerie Walker questioned why it took so long for the team to be recognized.
“We are very grateful, but 42 years? she says.
She brought up the jerseys sold during the Final Four which only featured three teams and didn’t mention Cheyney State.
“When you really want to understand and know the history of the NCAA women’s championships, you have to go back to the first year,” Walker said.
The Afghan Resettlement Program received the “For the Love of the Game” award.
Moore officially retired from basketball in January – five years after playing his last game with the Lynx. Between her final match and announcing her retirement, Moore helped her husband Jonathan Irons secure his release from prison by getting his 50-year sentence overturned in 2020.
She went 150-4 during her career at UConn. The two-time AP Player of the Year and four-time All-American played a key role in the Huskies’ 90-game winning streak, the longest of all time until the school’s streak reached 111 games several years later.
Augustus was first drafted by the Lynx in 2006 after winning back-to-back AP Player of the Year awards while playing at LSU. She led the Tigers to the Final Four from 2004 to 2006.
McWilliams-Franklin played on the 2011 Lynx team with Moore and Augustus. She also won WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008.
Easterling played for Mississippi College from 1973 to 1977, helping the team to the 1974 AIAW national championship game. She also had a short career in the Women’s Professional Basketball League, the precursor to the WNBA.
Phillips had a record of 761-165 as a high school coach at Archbishop Mitty High in California. She played a major role in USA Basketball, coaching numerous youth teams to gold medals.
Scovel won six junior college national titles as coach at Gulf Coast State College in Florida. She went 646-91.
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 the Hall of Fame.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
