Delle Donne last played for the Washington Mystics in the 2023 WNBA season.
On Friday morning, Elena Delle Donne announced that she is retiring from the WNBA on her Instagram account.
Here is the text from her post:
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. 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. 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. 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 played in the WNBA from 2013 to 2023. She first played for the Chicago sky from 2013 to 2016 and then the Washington Mystics from 2017 to 2023 winning a WNBA championship with Washington in 2019. In addition, she was a member of the 2016 USA basketball women’s national team that won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Delle Donne was also a two time WNBA MVP winning it once with Chicago in 2015 and once with Washington in 2019.
It is not surprising that Dela Dan decided to retire because she did not play in the 2024 WNBA season. In addition she suffered significant back pain since she suffered an initial injury in the 2019 WNBA Finals.
Let us know your thoughts in the accounts below. And thanks for representing the DMV during the Mystics’ best period in franchise history EDD!