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Elena Delle Donne is officially retiring from professional basketball after not playing last year and dealing with injuries and illnesses throughout her entire career.
When healthy, she was a force on the court, winning two WNBA MVPs, making seven All-Star appearances in 11 seasons and helping the Washington Mystics win a league championship in 2019.
Delle Donne, 35, made the announcement on social media Friday and referenced a line from one of her favorite childhood books that reads, “How did it get so late so soon?”
“I have asked myself that over and over again in the process of coming to the decision to retire from playing basketball,” Delle Donne wrote on Instagram. “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.”
The Mystics soon after her announcement said that Delle Donne would be a special advisor to the Monumental Sports group that owns the Mystics and Wizards.
“Elena Delle Donne has been a transformative force for the Washington Mystics and women’s basketball,” Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis said. “A champion and MVP on and off the court, her legacy as a player, leader, and ambassador will leave a permanent mark on the game, and on generations of young women, for years to come."
The second overall pick in 2013 by Chicago, Delle Donne spent a dozen years as one of the faces of the WNBA. She played the last six seasons in Washington, helping the Mystics win the franchise's first championship in 2019.
“She put us over the top,” former Mystics coach Mike Thibault told The Associated Press. "We were trying to build to where we could have a team that somebody like her would want to play with and we could win the championship that she was seeking and that we were seeking.”
Delle Donne was instrumental in the title run despite playing with three herniated discs in her back. That season she had the only 50-40-90 season in league history when she shot 51.5% from the field, 43% from behind the 3-point line and 97.4% from the foul line.
“She had one of the purest shooting forms ever,” Thibault said. “We had NBA guys with the Wizards who didn't want to be in shooting drills with her.”
Thibault recounted the many hours Delle Donne spent in the gym trying to maintain her body while dealing with an assortment of injuries and illness like Lyme disease.
“After her back surgeries, she had a lot of days in the arena that started at 6 a.m. and when other players were done she was still doing another treatment or massage or whatever it would take to be able to play,” Thibault said.
She opted out of the 2020 season that was played in Florida because of the coronavirus pandemic because of health concerns and then turned down a contract from the team in February 2024 to step away from basketball.
Delle Donne, who also won an Olympic gold medal with USA Basketball in 2016, averaged 19.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in 241 regular-season games, although she was never able to play a full season.
She also played in 40 playoffs games, where she averaged 17.9 points, 6.1 boards and 2.3 assists.
Delle Donne came onto the scene in high school as one of the most sought after recruits in the country. She originally committed to UConn before deciding at the last minute to come home to Delaware to be closer to her sister. After she stepped away from basketball to play volleyball her first year at the school, she missed the sport too much and came back to play hoops.
She helped Delaware reach unprecedented heights in her time there and finished with more than 3,000 points in her career.
“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,” she wrote. "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!”
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