After more than a decade playing pro ball, queer seven-time-all-star Elena Delle Donne is retiring from the WNBA.
The 35-year-old MVP and Olympic gold medal winner announced her departure from the league in a heartfelt Instagram post, in which she discussed the injuries that forced her to sit out the 2024 season.
“One of my favorite children’s books asked, ‘How did it get so late so soon?’” Delle Donne’s announcement read. “I have asked myself that over and over again in the process of coming to the decision to retire from playing basketball. Being able to say that out loud was one of the hardest parts of my career. My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time.”
In 2019, the Washington Mystics player led the team to its first and only league championship but has only played 51 games since then due to injuries and back surgeries.
Delle Donne spent her rookie year with the Chicago Sky, earning rooking of the year, and eventually taking the team to the WNBA finals in 2014, and scoring her first MVP award in 2015, before requesting a trade to the Mystics before the start of the 2017 season, the Washington Post reports.
Delle Donne came out in a Vogue profile in 2016, just three years after she was drafted second overall behind fellow queer MNBA star Brittney Griner. She and wife Amanda Clifton tied the knot in 2017, telling People that she was happy to “be able to live in a world now where Amanda and I are able to be out and hopefully inspire others just to live their truth.”
After joining the Mystics in 2017, Delle Donne was a centerpiece of the team, increasing their win total and helping the team improve every year until they took home the team’s only championship in 2019.
But after years of dealing with ongoing injuries, including a pair of back surgeries limited her to playing just three games in 2021, in 2023 she made her final all-star team but ankle and hip injuries made her miss play time, and then she had to sit out the 2024 season altogether.
Despite being offered a one-year super-max offer — which allows teams to pay more than the normal salary cap to retain veteran player — Delle Donne opted to leave the game behind.
“Words cannot adequately express how thankful I am to my family, all of my incredible teammates, friends, executives, sponsors, staff and most importantly the amazing fans that have accompanied me on this journey,” her Instagram statement continued. “This game has been my life and I am grateful for the memories and how much it’s given me. It feels good to close this chapter knowing I gave it my all and I can’t wait for what’s next!”
Delle Donne may be leaving the sport in the rear view mirror, but not only did she bring the Sun and the Mystics to glory on the court, but living her life out and proud, inspired other athletes to do the same.
“You sparked pride in my lesbian athlete identity by having the bravery to simply exist as yourself,” runner Susie Poole wrote in an open letter to Delle Donne for Outsports during Pride Month 2022. “That’s something I’ll be celebrating every month of the year for the rest of my life. Thank you for being the person I needed when I was young.”
#Gay #athlete #Elena #Delle #Donne #retiring #WNBA
