Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne is hanging up her sneakers. Delle Donne announced her retirement Friday in an Instagram post, calling it, “the right thing for me at the right time.”
In her retirement post, Delle Donne, 35, called leaving the game “one of the hardest parts of my career.” She added that her body made the decision before her mind accepted it.
Delle Donne leaves the game with a long list of accolades. She excelled in the WNBA immediately, winning Rookie of the Year in 20 13 after going No. 2 overall to the Chicago Sky in the draft. Delle Donne made the All-Star team in each of her first three seasons, winning her first MVP in 2015.
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Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Delle Donne was traded to the Washington Mystics. She turned in a similarlydominant stretch in Washington, making the All-Star team in each of her first three seasons in Washington. She won her second WNBA MVP in 2019 and followed that up by winning the WNBA championship with Washington.
During the 2019 WNBA Finals, Delle Donne sustained a back injury. She underwent two surgeries on her back in 2020 and sat out the COVID-19 shortened WNBA season that year. She played in just three games in 2021 due to back issues.
Delle Donne returned to the Mystics in 2022 and showed no signs of rust. She averaged 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds. That performance earned Delle Donne down-ballot MVP votes. She put up similar numbers in 2023, earning her seventh — and final — All-Star nod.
Delle Donne was expected to be an unrestricted free agent that offseason, but told the Mystics she was unsure about playing in 2024. The Mystics placed a core designation on her, ensuring she would remain with the team if she decided to keep playing. Delle Donne was offered a one-year, supermax contract from Washington, but opted to take time away from basketball. She did not play during the 2024 WNBA season.
After being away from the game for a year, Delle Donne decided to call it a career Friday. She leaves the game as one of its most decorated players. Delle Donne was a two-time MVP winner, was named a WNBA All-Pro five times and made the All-Star team seven times. She led the Mystics to a WNBA championship and was named to the W25 team — a celebration of the top 25 WNBA players of all time — in 2021.
