Maya Moore getting inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025 was about as shocking as the sun rising in the morning. Her legacy stretches way beyond her playing days–you just don’t see many athletes step away at their absolute peak to take on the American justice system. This was a long time coming. To mark the moment, she recreated Michael Jordan’s iconic Nike ring ad. But it wasn’t just the photoshoot that stole the show. Moore dropped some powerful words that are sure to light a fire under the next wave of Hall of Famers, including rising stars like Caitlin Clark.

To really understand Maya’s impact on and off the floor, you need to hear it from someone who watched her greatness every single day. Her coach Cheryl Reeve said it best in a 2020 interview with ESPN: “When we say Maya is a winner, you do winning things. Winning things would be attention to detail, a drive to always improve, and, in my view, humility. I think humility is what helps you be great. You have a confidence, certainly have an ego, but you understand how much you need people around you. And that was very much Maya.”

Maya Moore has a career resume that almost feels unreal. Three state championships in high school with a 125-3 record at Collins Hill, two national titles at UConn with a 150-4 record, four WNBA championships with the Minnesota Lynx, a league MVP, a Finals MVP, and six All-Star appearances. While she will always be remembered for being more than just a basketball player, Moore, during her Hall of Fame speech, opened up about the challenges new players could face on their own paths and what it truly takes to sustain greatness at every level.

“With insecurities and fears as you navigate your sports journey. You have to figure out what motivates you every day when you get up out of bed. And there’s a lot of pressure, I think, to be motivated by fear and approach your team and your teammates that way. Fear of sharing the spotlight, fear of looking bad, fear of having to wait your turn and losing out on money. That’s a lot of pressure. I get it,” she said. “But I want to challenge you. Up and comers to learn to love and seek out joy and connection as your biggest motivator,” she continued

This is true for every rookie who steps onto a WNBA court. Most are hesitant to speak up or too nervous to share the spotlight with established stars. But as Maya Moore said, you have to push past that fear and show your true worth. And if you look at players like Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, they’ve already shown they know exactly how to do that.

Clark has already made history in her rookie year, scoring the most points by a rookie, breaking the all-time single-season assists record, and leading the Fever back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Paige has shown her worth too, recently becoming the fastest player to hit 650 points and 180 assists. But even with all these highs, both have had their fair share of challenges along the way.

Caitlin Clark’s sophomore year has been rough. She went down with three separate injuries and ended up playing only 13 games. Even in those games, her numbers dipped, with her three-point shooting sliding from 34.4 percent to 27.9. Paige, on the other hand, has been putting up strong performances, but her team has only managed nine wins. And as if the struggles on court weren’t enough, both of them found themselves in the crosshairs of social media backlash.

But as Maya Moore reminded everyone in her Hall of Fame speech, greatness isn’t just about scoring titles or highlight reels. It’s about building the right culture. “The joy of helping someone else get better. Seeing them shine at what they’re good at. The joy of having people around you that believe in you and you believe in them. Seek that culture out. Be a part of that culture. I’m confident you won’t regret it.”

And that’s exactly what every player should strive for with their franchise. Paige has always preached culture as the foundation for success, so the future will show just how far she can take that. Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, on the other hand, are still struggling to build that culture, and it’s shown in their inconsistent performances this season. Caitlin Clark, meanwhile, has already bought fully into the Fever’s culture. You can see it in how her teammates have defended each other during the season.

Even without Clark, the Fever are on the brink of a playoff berth and have already brought home the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. That’s living proof of Moore’s message.

That said, Caitlin also shared what she considers one of the biggest turning points of her career last year — and it had everything to do with Maya Moore.

Caitlin Clark Reflects on Maya Moore and Her Impact

For countless kids growing up, seeing Maya Moore on the court was everything. Caitlin Clark was no different. “I just ran up to [Maya Moore] and just gave her a hug. That was one of the most pivotal moments of my entire basketball career… That meant the world to me.”

When Moore’s No. 23 jersey was retired, Clark showed up wearing a 23 Moore jersey to pay her respects, later calling it a full-circle moment. “If you would’ve told me as a young kid that I’d be playing in the game that her jersey is retired at, it’s kinda full circle for me too. She was my favorite player ever growing up and that was who I loved watching. She was like my LeBron James as a kid. To just be in the building that night and to say I got to play in that game is super cool,” she said.

You can clearly see the impact Moore has had on the younger generation, even after retiring relatively early. It’s impossible not to wonder what kind of career she could have had if she’d kept playing. Regardless, one thing is certain– the younger generation will pay attention to what she shared during her Hall of Fame speech, and we may very well see future Hall of Famers shaped by her words.