Elena Delle Donne

At 35 years old, Elena Delle Donne has this physical status:

Elena Delle Donne (born September 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Delle Donne competed for the Delaware Blue Hens from 2009 to 2013.

She was drafted by the Chicago Sky as the second overall pick of the 2013 WNBA Draft and led the Sky to the 2014 WNBA Finals, where they will be met by the Phoenix Mercury, the eventual champions.

In 2019, she will be drafted to the Washington Mystics and help the team win their first WNBA Championship in franchise history.

Delle Donne has received two WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards (2015, 2019), and she was one of six all-star teams, making her the first WNBA player to join the 50-40-90 club.

Early life

Delle Donne inherited her 6'5" (1.96 m) height from both her parents—her father, who played college golf, is 6'6" (1.98 m), and her mother is 6'2" (1.88 m). A girl's childhood was marked by a struggle to cope with her unusual height. According to a 2016 ESPN article, her first memory was going on a shopping trip when she was three years old and hearing other shoppers advise her that an 8-year-old should not be using a pacifier. Her class was encouraged to record themselves using lengths of paper in third grade, and she was "humiliated" when her paper went far beyond those of her peers. A doctor wanted to start injectings to slow her growth within two years of the incident; her mother refused. She was already 6'0" (1.83 m) by the time she was in eighth grade. In addition, Delle Donne had to deal with the fact that her older sister, Lizzie, could do a lot of things that her older sister, Lizzie, couldn't." Lizzie, who was born deaf and blind, is unable to talk, and she also has cerebral palsy and autism. Delle Donne lauds her mother for assisting her in accepting her height in another ESPN article from 2016: She cites her mother for helping her accept her height:

Personal life

Delle Donne was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Ernie, a real estate investor, and Joanie are her parents. Genevie, her older brother, played college football as a close end, first at Duke and then at Middle Tennessee. After graduating from Middle Tennessee in 2009, he returned to Delaware to work for their father's company. Elizabeth (Lizzie), Elizabeth's older sister, is blind, deaf, autistic, and has cerebral palsy. During the WNBA offseason, Delle Donne is usually concerned about Lizzie.

Delle Donne was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2008 after being bitten by an infected tick on the property of her family's Delaware home. Delle Donne has said that she takes "around 50 tablets a day" and maintains healthy eating to combat the disease. She opted not to participate in the 2020 WNBA season due to her illness, limiting her exposure to the coronavirus.

Delle Donne was named a Special Olympics Global Ambassador in February 2014. During All-Star weekend, she competed in the third annual NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game, alongside Special Olympics champions, NBA legends, and current WNBA and NBA players. Delle Donne is planning to create The Elena Delle Donne Charitable Foundation, which would fund both the Special Olympics and Lyme disease awareness.

In the Vogue's August 2016 issue, Delle Donne confessed to her longtime girlfriend Amanda Clifton. Delle Donne and Clifton married on November 3, 2017.

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High school career

Delle Donne, a student basketball player at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, received national recognition as a top school basketball star. Ursuline led Ursuline to three straight Delaware State Championship titles, as well as a McDonald's All-American, ranked as the country's top overall high school recruit. She was the first and only student at Ursuline so far to receive 2,000+ points during her high school career, as well as the girls' national record for consecutive free throws made (80) in 2005–2006.

Delle Donne was also selected a WBCA All-American. She earned MVP awards for the Red team and earned 17 points in the 2007 WBCA High School All-America Game.

She also competed in volleyball. Delle Donne competed in the volleyball DIAA state championship with Ursuline in 2007. During a game involving the number one and two teams in the state, she had a season-high 20 kills against Padua.

College career

Delle Donne earned a basketball scholarship from the University of Connecticut following her stellar prep career, during which she was the most highly regarded women's basketball recruit since Candace Parker. Delle Donne did subsequently drop out of Connecticut's summer school program after only two days in Storrs, but in early June 2008, she was unable to return to Storrs. Delle Donne, her older sister Lizzie, who has cerebral palsy and is blind and deaf, is very close to her family. She was not able to be estranged from her family. Gene, Elena's brother and the middle child of the Delle Donne family, appeared in a 2012 ESPN feature on his younger sister.

Delle Donne, a week after leaving Connecticut, said by phone from her Wilmington home that she had "a lot of personal problems to address." Only my family knows what's going on. I'm going to take a long personal break right now." She had a similar break in high school in 2007-08.

Delle Donne, a student at the University of Delaware, said she would not accept the scholarship due to burnout, instead enrolling in the University of Delaware and joining their volleyball team as a walk-on. For the 2008–09 season, she was a middle hitter at UD. The 2008 Delaware Blue Hens won their season with a record of 19–16. They were 9-5 in their conference (Colonial Athletic Association) and they captured the conference tournament. They earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but they lost to Oregon in the first round. Delle Donne did not continue with the volleyball team in 2009, but she joined the basketball team.

Delle Donne revealed on June 2, 2009, that she will play basketball for the Blue Hens in the 2009–10 season as a redshirt freshman. Graham Hays, an ESPN writer, wrote about her return to action in 2012, "It's no coincidence" that Gene returned to Delaware and went to work for his dad's company." Delle Donne recalled a trip she took during the summer of 2009 to the school that Lizzie was attending in an ESPN interview. "Elena, do everything you can with your abilities, as we did," she told her while attending another woman at the school, a basketball fan who used a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy.

Delle Donne had a good freshman season. She averaged 26.7 points per game, her third-best of all Division I women's basketball players. In a loss to James Madison on February 18, 2010, she scored 54 points in a loss that was the highest single-game point total by a Division I female basketball player this season. She was voted the CAA Rookie of the Week six times during 2009–2010, and also the Week Player of the Week once.

CAA coaches, sport information directors, and journalists selected her as "Player of the Year" and "Rookie of the Year" in women's basketball. This was the first time a player had won both awards in one year since Lucienne Berthieu of Old Dominion won both awards in 1999. No male athlete has ever won both awards in the same season.

The team started off strong in her sophomore season, but Delle Donne began to show flu-like symptoms. She begged to be booted out of the game during a match against Penn State, something she had never done before. The doctors eventually diagnosed her with Lyme disease after numerous tests. She suffered the remainder of the season, but she helped her team reach the finals of the conference tournament and a scholarship to the Women's NIT.

Delle Donne, a junior, led the nation in scoring, averaging of 28.1 points per game throughout the season. Many people attended the Blue Hens games this year, with attendance up 25% from the previous year. Delle Donne scored 42 points in a victory over Hofstra on February 16, 2012, eclipsing the 2,000 point mark for her career. Delaware qualified for the 2012 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament, qualifying for the 2012 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. In their first round victory over UALR, Delle Donne scored 39 out of the Blue Hens' first 56 points. Delaware led at halftime against Kansas in the next game, but the Jayhawks defeated despite Delle Donne's 34 points.

Delle Donne revived Lyme disease in the 2012–2013 season, missing four games due to the illness. Delle Donne returned to Maryland on December 12 in a 69-53 loss and led the team with 19 points and 6 rebounds. This was the biggest crowd (5,089) to ever attend a women's basketball game at the Bob Carpenter Center, the Blue Hens' homecourt.

Delle Donne led her team in scoring in 22 regular season games as well as in rebounds in 12 games. She scored more than 30 points on five occasions, leading her squad to a 27–3 record in CAA tournament play.

The Blue Hens were the #6 seed in their region of the 2013 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament after winning the CAA conference tournament. They defeated #11 West Virginia and #3 North Carolina, with Delle Donne leading them to victories over #11 West Virginia and #3 North Carolina. Despite Delle Donne's 33 points, the Blue Hens lost to #2 Kentucky.

WNBA career

Delle Donne was one of twelve players to be invited to the 2013 WNBA Draft following her academic career. The Chicago Sky selected her second in the draft, a team that went 14-20 in the 2012 season. Delle Donne scored 22 points against fellow rookie Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury in a 102-80 victory. The first time a rookie had done so in league history, she led all participants in the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game. However, she had to miss the game due to a concussion. Delle Donne returned to action and continued to play at a high level after the All-Star break. The Sky not only qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, but they also earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Delle Donne was named Rookie of the Year in 2013.

Delle Donne played just 16 games in 2014 due to a Lyme disease outbreak, averaging less than 19 minutes in the final seven games. Eventually, she rose during the playoffs, helping the Sky beat the Atlanta Dream in the first round, scoring 34 points, including a game-winning shot with 8.2 seconds remaining—as the Sky erased a 17-point deficit with 8:12 left in regulation. Delle Donne, on the other hand, was elbowed while trying to return from a back injury that limited her play time against the Indiana Fever. The Sky made it to the WNBA finals, but they lost to the Phoenix Mercury. Delle Donne was only ten minutes in the first game; she needed medication to play 68 minutes and score 45 points in the final two games.

Delle Donne was named the WNBA MVP for the 2015 season on September 16, 2015. She scored a season-high 23.4 points per game, shot a career-high 95% from the free throw line, and was ranked third in the league in rebounding. She received 38 of 39 of 39 first-place votes. Delle Donne had a career-high 45 points in an overtime victory over the Atlanta Dream, while making 19 straight throws, a WNBA record.

Delle Donne has appeared in two NBA All-Star Celebrity Games in 2014 and 2016.

Delle Donne averaged 21.5 points per game in the 2016 season, leading the Sky to another playoff appearance as they finished 18–16. With the WNBA's latest playoff system in place, the Sky were the No. 1st in the league. The team was seeded in the league as a result of their promotion to the second round. In a loss to the Washington Mystics, Delle Donne sustained a right thumb injury. Delle Donne's season-ending surgery kept her out of the playoffs. Delle Donne played 28 games in the season before suffering the injury. The Sky still had a good playoff run, advancing to the semifinals (the last round before the WNBA finals) where they lost 3–1 to the eventual champion Los Angeles Sparks.

With Delle Donne's rookie contract ending in the 2017 offseason and her rookie contract ending, she was traded to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Stefanie Dolson, Kahleah Copper, and the second overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft just a few days before the free agency's debut.

Delle Donne made her Mystics debut on May 14, 2017, scoring a team-high 26 points in an 89–74 victory over the San Antonio Stars. Delle Donne had a season-high 27 points in a 99-89 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19, 2017. Delle Donne played outside her natural position as the Mystics' starting power forward during Emma Meesseman's absence. Delle Donne suffered a sprained right ankle in a match against Indiana Fever on July 14, 2017, forcing her to miss the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game. Delle Donne scored a new season-high of 29 points and ten rebounds in an 85-76 victory over the San Antonio Stars on July 25, 2017. Delle Donne sustained a left thumb injury while playing against the Atlanta Dream on August 1, 2017, and was banned from playing for two weeks. In a 74-66 loss to the New York Liberty on August 25, 2017, she returned and scored 15 points. Delle Donne scored a new season-high 37 points along with a career-high 6 three-pointers in a 110–106 victory over the Seattle Storm on September 1, 2017, as the Mystics secured a playoff spot in the league with an 18–16 record. Delle Donne scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the first round elimination game against the Dallas Wings 86–76. They advanced to the second round of elimination games, defeating the #3-seeded New York Liberty, 82–68, for the first time in franchise history, where the Mystics advanced to the semi-finals. Delle Donne won by 18 points and grabbed ten rebounds. The Mystics were defeated by the Minnesota Lynx in a 3-game sweep in the semi-finals.

Delle Donne, who remained out of the season to play for Team Belgium in the FIBA World Tournament, started at the power forward slot in the starting lineup in the 2018 season. Delle Donne won by 95-91 over the Connecticut Sun on June 13, 2018, scoring a season-high 36 points. Delle Donne, the fastest player in WNBA history, scored 3,000 points in a 77–80 loss to the Atlanta Dream, marking the first appearance in 148 games. Diana Taurasi and Seimone Augustus, who both won the tournament in 151 games, set the previous record. Delle Donne was chosen into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game for her fifth all-star appearance. Delle Donne averaged 20.7 ppg at the end of the regular season. With a 22-12 record, the Mystics advanced to the second round elimination game. The Mystics won the semi-finals for the second year in a row. In the win, Delle Donne scored 19 points. The Mystics defeated the number two seed Atlanta Dreams in Game one, Delle Donne scored 32 points in Game one, propelling the Mystics to an 87-84 victory. For the first time in franchise history, the Mystics prevailed in the series in a fierce five-game series. In the Finals, the Mystics were swept by the Storm.

Delle Donne was elected into the WNBA all-star game for her sixth appearance and was also named Team Captain after receiving the top two votes among all-stars in the league for the new all-star game voting system. In a 99-93 victory over the Phoenix Mercury, Delle Donne scored a season-high 33 points on July 30, 2019. The Mystics were the nation's top seed with a 26–8 record by the end of the season and with Meesseman's return to the semifinals. Delle Donne received the MVP award during the playoffs, making it her second straight MVP award. She also played for the All-WNBA First Team and ended the regular season with a new high in field goal percentage. The Mystics won the WNBA Finals for the second year in a row, beating the Las Vegas Aces 3–1. Delle Donne battled through sickness, leading up to a 1–0 Mystics' series, she left Game 2 with back spasms, which the Mystics lost, tying the series 1–1. However, Delle Donne earned her first WNBA championship after suffering from injury for the remainder of the season and assisting the Mystics in their victory in the WNBA championship after defeating the Connecticut Sun in five games. Delle Donne was also the first woman to join the prestigious 50–90 club (60 percent field goals, 40% 3-point shooting, and 90% free throws over a single season), establishing excellent all-around shooters. Only nine men had ever achieved the feat in an NBA season: Larry Bird (twice in a row), Steve Nash (four times in five seasons), Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki, Malcolm Brogdon, and Kyrie Irving were among those who have won the NBA championships.

Delle Donne did not return to work for the entire season in 2020 due to health issues and pre-existing risk factors. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a threat to the COVID-19 pandemic has occurred in the United States. Despite her physician's suggestion not to play in the bubble to reduce any chance of exposure to the virus, the Mystics were able to address the issue and decided to pay Delle Donne full pay for the season despite being off the league. The Mystics struggled to protect their crown without Delle Donne and less of her back up cast members; they barely made the playoffs as the number 8 seed with a 9–13 record in the shortened 22-game season; they lost 85–84 to the Phoenix Mercury in the first round elimination game. During the 2021 WNBA season, Delle Donne was limited to three games. She was named one of the top 25 players of the league's first 25 years during the 2002 season.

Overseas career

Delle Donne, unlike the overwhelming majority of WNBA players, hasn't played much internationally, preferring instead to spend the traditional basketball season in the United States to help her sister, Lizzie. Her first participation in an overseas league didn't appear until 2017, when she agreed to play for Shanxi in the Chinese league's playoffs. When a flare-up of Lyme disease forced her to return to the United States, her China sojourn came to an end.

National team career

Delle Donne was selected to the 2011 USA Basketball Team for the World University Games in Shenzhen, China, during her college years. Delle Donne led the team to a gold medal and an overall record of 6–0, with 15.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Delle Donne scored 18 points on 8–14 shootings in the USA's 101–66 Championship game against Taiwan, leading the team with 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

Delle Donne was selected for the U.S. team at the 2014 World Championship, but she was forced to withdraw due to a back injury suffered in the WNBA Playoffs.

Delle Donne was named to the 2016 United States team that competed at the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 27, 2016. She was a key player throughout the United States' eighth gold medal campaign, starting off the bench in seven games and missing the game against China due to an eye injury sustained during practice. When the United States defeated Spain 101-72, they captured the gold medal. Delle Donne is the sixth gold medalist hailing from Delaware.

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