WNBA's Maya Moore Meets Man She Helped Free From Prison, Emotional Video

WNBA superstar Maya Moore -- who paused her hoops career to help free a wrongfully convicted man serving a 50-year prison sentence -- was able to watch him walk free on Wednesday ... and the video is powerful.

31-year-old Moore -- one of the greatest WNBA players EVER -- stepped away from the league in 2019 and 2020 to focus on social justice issues ... starting with freeing Jonathan Irons.

FYI, 40-year-old Irons was only 16 years old when he was convicted of burglary and assault in Missouri in 1998, despite no real evidence proving his guilt.

Moore has longed believed Irons is innocent -- and has spent the past 2 years providing tons of support in the hopes of bringing him home.

And, on Wednesday -- after his conviction was overturned and prosecutors said there would not be a retrial -- her dream became a reality.

Moore -- alongside Irons' family members -- watched Jonathan walk free from the Jefferson City Correctional Center in an emotional moment captured on video and posted to Instagram.

"I feel like I can live life now," said Irons -- who had served 22 years of his 50-year sentence. "I'm free, I'm blessed, I just want to live my life worthy of God's help and influence."

Moore spoke about Irons' release on "Good Morning America" on Thursday ... saying, "In that moment, I really felt like I could rest."

"I'd been standing, and we'd been standing, for so long .... and it was an unplanned moment where I just felt relief. It was kind of a worshipful moment, just dropping to my knees and just being so thankful that we made it."

Moore -- the #1 overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft -- is a 4-time WNBA champ and was named MVP in 2014.