After over a decade taking part in skilled basketball, WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne has determined to hold up her footwear. This comes a yr after she determined to sit out the 2024 season after being cored by the Washington Mystics.
She introduced her retirement by way of her private Instagram web page.
Delle Donne is a participant who all the time carved her personal path within the sport, being a trailblazer for youthful generations of gamers who got here after. She made information when she determined to depart the College of Connecticut and as a substitute performed for her hometown College of Delaware. She was then drafted No. 2 total within the 2013 WNBA draft to the Chicago Sky, successful Rookie of the Yr. She was awarded the WNBA MVP award for the primary time in 2015.
In 2017, she was traded to the Washington Mystics, finally main the franchise to their first WNBA Championship in 2019 — her second MVP yr.
In 2020, Delle Donne opted out of the WNBA’s bubble season with the intention to keep away from publicity to the COVID virus. She was at an elevated danger for problems as a result of her having Lyme Illness, and was additionally recovering from again accidents suffered within the 2019 season. The remainder of Delle Donne’s skilled profession was restricted as a result of her ongoing again accidents, and she or he underwent a number of surgical procedures in an try and return to the courtroom. Her final season within the WNBA was in 2023, as she then opted to not take part within the 2024 season.
Alongside together with her two MVP awards, Rookie of the Yr and WNBA Championship, Delle Donne has a protracted checklist of accolades in her profession. She was a 7x WNBA All-Star, 4x All-WNBA First Staff member, and made one All-WNBA Second Staff. She gained each an Olympic Gold Medal (2016) and World Cup (2018) with Staff USA basketball.
In 11 WNBA seasons, Delle Donne averaged 19.5 factors, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists, capturing 47.5% from the sector.
Delle Donne is the most recent of a number of WNBA legends to retire from the league in the previous few seasons, together with Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, Sue Chicken and extra. A era of trailblazers who left the sport higher than they discovered it as we welcome in a brand new period of ladies’s basketball.
