Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne is retiring from basketball after 11 seasons. She said in an Instagram post on Friday that her body “seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it.”
Delle Donne, who last suited up for the Washington Mystics, has not played a professional game after taking the 2024 season off.
“One of my favorite children’s books asked, ‘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,” the 34-year-old wrote on Instagram. “Being able to say that out loud was one of the hardest parts of my career.”
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Delle Donne leaves the game with a long list of accolades including two WNBA MVPs, seven WNBA All-Star teams, four All-WNBA First team picks and a championship trophy with the Mystics in 2019.
Delle Donne was the No. 2 overall pick in 2013 by the Chicago Sky, where she played for four years. There she made the All-Star team in each of her first three seasons, winning her first MVP award in 2015.
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In 2017, Delle Donne was traded to the Mystics, leading the team to one of its most dominant stretches in the league. She won her second MVP title in 2019 and followed it up by winning the championship while playing with three herniated disks.
Delle Donne opted out of the 2020 season in the COVID-19 bubble in Florida because of health concerns and was limited to just three games by back issues in 2021. Those back issues continued to hamper her playing time, and she only played 25 games in 2022 and 23 in 2023.
She skipped the 2024 season after deciding not to sign a one-year supermax offer from the Mystics.
Delle Donne played college basketball at Delaware, where she was a two-time All-American and led the Blue Hens to the Sweet 16 in 2013.
“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 said on Instagram. “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!”
