Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney has reappeared on social media following a brief hiatus in what has been a trying year for the retired gymnast as she embarks on a new career path and a new phase in life. Maroney took to Instagram this week for the first time in months, and the cause for her big comeback all had to do with the NBA draft. Specifically, she was excited to see where LaMelo Ball was going to end up.
"[Excited] for nba draft tonight 🏀 ," McKayla Maroney captioned the shot of herself sitting on her kitchen counter with a glammed up look while wearing beautiful crochet-style sweater.
She added, "who do you thinks going #1 ?? i think [LaMelo,]" in reference to the younger brother of Lonzo Ball, who actually ended up being drafted third to the Charlotte Hornets.
Fans were definitely excited to see Maroney back on The Gram, and responded with tons of praise in her comments.
"I know nothing about bb but bb U CUTE," one fan wrote to the member of the 24-year-old member of the Fierce Five.
"I’d max out my credit card for you," a second superfan offered.
"You definitely are going #1," a third person declared.
The photo quickly went viral and has since racked up almost 100,000 likes on Instagram.
Although she recently announced a singing career, Maroney has been sporadic with her posting on social media over the years, especially while dealing with personal tragedy.
Back in 2019, McKayla Maroney revealed that her father had suddenly died, and claimed at the time that it was due to ongoing issues related to opioid abuse.
"Love u dad. I can’t believe it’s real. I don’t want to. I’ll miss you forever. Rest in peace. You were the most incredible dad,” she wrote on social media in an emotional tribute.
The loss came on the heels of Maroney going through a very public emotional ordeal when she, along with many former gymnastics teammates like Aly Raisman, revealed they were sexually abused by former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar.
Maroney was one of the many young women who read impact statements in court and detailed the horrific abuse they endured at the hands of Nassar, who was ultimately sentenced to spend the rest of his miserable life in prison.
Amid the adversity McKayla Maroney has faced at such a young age, she has been able to stay focused on her future and had mad a vow on social media.
"[Lately] i've been pushing myself really hard to step up and change parts of myself, and my life i'm tired of... no more excuses, easy way outs, just making it happen. i want change. i want my life to be so different by next year. feel free to join me, we can do it together."
Obviously, she could not have predicted the interesting year 2020 became, but Maroney appears to be doing well in the midst of chaos.
