New documentary celebrates Lynx star Maya Moore's off-court mission

Most sports documentaries celebrate athletic accomplishments. "30 for 30: Breakaway" is no exception.

The film, premiering at 8 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN, tracks basketball standout Maya Moore's success in high school, college and in the WNBA, where she has led the Minnesota Lynx to four national titles. She's been honored in Washington, D.C., so many times that President Barack Obama has joked that a White House wing might need to be named after her.

But "Breakaway" quickly pivots to Moore's off-court challenges, specifically a mission that compelled her to take a sabbatical from the game.

In 2019, Moore left the Lynx so she could devote more time to campaign for the release of Jonathan Irons, a fellow Missourian who was sentenced to a 50-year prison term in 1997 on charges of burglary and assault.

The results are well known: Irons was released after a judge ruled that the prosecution had mishandled the case. But what's compelling about the new film is how Moore came to care so much about Irons and eventually marry him.

This isn't the first time ESPN's stellar "30 for 30" series has been primarily interested in what happens away from the game. Past installments have focused on Renée Richards' fight to play tennis as a transgender athlete, soccer star George Best's battle with alcoholism and the war in Yugoslavia that tested the friendship between NBA players Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic.

It also isn't the first time the series has focused on a subject with local ties. Timberwolves bad boy Christian Laettner, former Minnesotan bicyclist Greg LeMond and Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss have all been profiled.

"Breakaway" is particularly interesting because it's so fresh. Irons was only released last summer and Moore is still contemplating whether she'll return to professional basketball.

So much of what compelled her to fight for Irons is part of today's headlines, from the rise of Black Lives Matter to questions about our justice system.

"There are things this side of heaven that we will not be able to fully restore," Moore says as she drives from Atlanta to Jefferson City, Mo., just before Irons is released. "But that doesn't mean we don't try."

Director Rudy Valdez tags along on the ride and the subsequent hoopla in the prison parking lot. His footage of Moore falling to her knees like she just won her fifth championship title is the film's emotional highlight.

There are moving interviews with Moore's family members, including her godparents whose work as amateur detectives was instrumental in bringing Irons' case back to court.

It would have been interesting if Valdez had also interviewed Moore's teammates and the journalists who cover her. I also would have liked to have heard from fans who were miffed at her decision to step away.

The only strong critic represented in news footage is former Minnesota Police Department union president Lt. Bob Kroll, who scoffs at Lynx players wearing T-shirts that called for change in law enforcement.

It's unlikely that Kroll's comments did much to shake Moore, who is being honored this week with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2021 ESPYS, the sports world's equivalent of the Oscars.

Moore may never play another minute of professional basketball. "Breakaway" argues that it's not necessary. She's already a winner — in more ways than one.

Neal Justin • 612-673-7431 •

Njustin@startribune.com Twitter: @nealjustin