Maya Moore
I listen to music on the bus or in the car on the way to a game.Collection: Car
It's a great feeling to be recognized for all the hard work that I've put in.Collection: Work
From the energy of the Olympic crowd to the celebratory feel of the Brazilian culture, I expect nothing less than an exciting and unforgettable 2016 event.
When I was a kid, I was big into saving up my money.
I'm pretty into music. Anything with music I love... I'm really big on lyrical content plus a good beat.
I'm pretty chill when I'm not on the court.
I think the first team I ever played for was a YMCA team, probably around when I was seven years old. And really I have vague memories of it. I think, at that age, you're just trying to make sure the ball stays in bounds.
When I was in high school, we won our state championship my sophomore year. We worked so hard that year because we had lost in the state championship the year before.
Any time you have an opportunity to do something for the first time, it's super exciting, and I just want to soak up everything, and each experience... just to say that you've represented your country at the Olympics, it's such a rare opportunity.
That's kind of what my mindset has always been, just focus on every day, and making the most of each day.
I want to succeed, but I want to make an impact in the people's lives that I'm around. So that means teammates, fans, coaches, staff, everybody.
Not being able to end the last game of my college career with a win, it really hurts.
I never want to say that I had glory days. I like to think that every new year there's something great that can happen, something great will happen, whether it's a basketball thing or an off-the-court thing.
I don't have many superstitions, but I do have a few things I like to do out of routine and habit before a game.
One thing my fans don't know about me is how much I love guacamole! But it has to be a little chunky and just a little bit spicy.
We play so hard and overall the Olympics are such a positive experience.
That's where I got my passion for the game, watching the WNBA on TV. Cynthia Cooper, Raise the Roof, We Got Next, I was into all of it.
My mom showed me how important it is to surround yourself with opportunities and make the most of them.
I want to be one of those players who you watch on film and say, 'Where's the weakness?'
I want to be one of those players like Jason Kidd, who is always in tune with the game and sees several plays ahead.
I like to get out in transition. That is one of my favorite aspects of the game.
Great coaches help create an environment that makes the players want to be successful and work hard and accomplish goals for their teammates.
You can have X's and O's, you can have talent, but if you don't have a vision, it won't work.
Something that is unique to coaching young people is there is such a range of talent, skill development and personality. And it's important to coach age-appropriately. You want to instill the fundamentals, always. But the right fundamentals.
What defines 'success' - answering that question - is so important when you're growing up as an athlete. Success for one kid is different than for another kid.
In this journey there is so much to my life that I just do privately... I don't really make it a huge priority to tell every single thing that I do every single day about my life.
Eating cleaner has helped me with recovery, to keep my body in position to play as many minutes as my team needed.
The most satisfying way to play basketball is when you can get the best out of everyone on the court.
I'm fortunate to be a player who can do a lot of things well. Not everything perfectly, but several things well.
I'm just going to continue to make good plays. Making the right decisions, good decisions with the ball so my team can play with a great flow.
This is a fast-paced world we live in, especially the sports and entertainment industry. There is a constant demand for performance, for something new, something excellent. That doesn't just happen. You have to have enough inside to pour out.
You need to be able to find joy in something that requires so much of yourself. I have to have that deeper meaning in my work and in my everyday life.
It's tough, but you can still find joy in the struggle. Going through a season with a lot of struggles, I got a lot of practice. You have to set yourself up for joy, give yourself the best opportunity to have that going on inside.
I take an approach of focusing on characteristics and qualities that I want to be as a teammate and the numbers will take care of themselves.
Sometimes when you're young and a little more immature, you can overdo things or not really have your legs under you.
Most of the time I'm really not aware of what I am doing. I'm just so locked into the moment.
I'm a basketball junkie. I watch basketball all the time.
I enjoyed practices at college. That is where you really get down and dirty and really get some development and see what you have.
It's crazy, it really is, to just be fortunate enough to continue to be in positions to win, to be playing well, to be healthy.
Both of my grandmothers are aging well, and my mom is, too. I've got some good genes.
Opinions are very easily heard in our media and technology-type of world that we're in. I just try to stay focused on the people that I'm around every day that I work with, that I trust and value.
I just try to make sure, in everything I do, I do what I'm supposed to be doing in a confident and a humble way at the same time. It's been working for me.
I think a winner has to be a master of preparation, they have to be a master of connection, extremely competitive and have really high standards for themselves and the people around them.
I think it takes different types of winners to maintain a winning culture.
For centuries in this country, black people were seen as three-fifths of a person. So when you hear the national anthem or you see an American flag as an African American person who has experienced the effects of that dehumanizing existence, it's not going to mean the same.
I think if you can find competitive people, they'll make any environment that they go to winners.
I'm very hard on myself. I'm the first person that'll say, 'Yeah I messed up.' And then I'll try to go out and fix it.
I walk with the Lord, just trusting day by day and week by week and month by month, what the next season holds and what the best next move for me is.
Trying to fit my strengths with my teammates' strengths, utilizing everyone to the max, is really fun to watch and really a fun way to play.
Red velvet cake is my absolute favorite. It has to be an actual slice of cake, not a cupcake; there's more surface area, so the icing ratio is higher.