Whenever he gets out, Moore plans to be there. In January, the 30-year-old star of the Minnesota Lynx, one of the best players in basketball, announced that she was extending her leave from the game for at least another year, skipping another season for the Lynx and a chance to play in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

She reiterated Monday that she did not regret taking a break from basketball. “It is so sweet to see the redemption that came from stepping away and giving what I had to this case,” Moore said. “It feels like we are holding up that Final Four trophy, but there are still a couple of steps.”

Irons, now 40, grew close to members of Moore’s family through their volunteer prison work and ministry in the early 2000s. Moore met Irons in 2007, when she was about to begin what would be a stellar career at Connecticut, where she led her team to a pair of N.C.A.A. titles.