Elena Delle Donne is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association. She played college basketball for the Delaware Blue Hens from 2009 to 2013.
4,000 career points
Despite being a rookie Elena Delle Donne achieved a high level success in WNBA. In the 2018-19 season, she was named Washington Mystics' Team Captain. She also made the All-Star Game and was voted as Team Captain of the WNBA's All-Star Game. Last season, she was named Team MVP and reached the 4,000 career points mark against the Atlanta Dream.
Elena Delle Donne, the Washington Mystics' franchise leader, has been with the team since her rookie season. She has been a leader in her team's deep playoff runs the past two seasons. Although she has missed time this year for personal reasons and rest, when she's on the court, she's looked like a league MVP. An indicator of a player’s effectiveness is efficiency, especially in shooting percentage. Elena Delle Donne averages 17.9 point per game and 6.6 rebound per game. In addition, she shoots 59.2% of her shots as true shots. This is 5.8% higher than the league average.
Three-time All-American
The versatile six-foot-five guard/forward is the 2013 Honda Player of the Year and a two-time First Team All-American. She is fifth in NCAA scoring. She has also won two Academic All-America accolades. At the World University Games she was awarded a Gold Medal by Team USA. Delle Donne has a stellar basketball career. She is also a social activist.
The former college basketball star has a special place in her heart for organizations that work to support individuals with intellectual disabilities. She has been a volunteer in Delaware, as well as at the University of Delaware. She is also active on social media, sharing her family's life and her love for her boys. Follow Elena on Twitter and Instagram.
Honda Player of Year
The Collegiate Women Sports Awards honor the nation's top women athletes. Awards recipients are often recognized not only for their athletic excellence but also for their leadership skills, academic excellence, or commitment to community service. Honda has sponsored the awards since 1986 and has awarded more than $2.5 million in institutional grants to universities nominated by award winners. The Honda Cup has been won by Brittney Griner as well as Ann Meyers Drysdale (previous winners), Lisa Fernandez (previous winner), and Misty Maytreanor (previous winners).
Delle Donne is a Delaware native who played college basketball at University of Delaware. She broke nearly every school record. She also led the Blue Hens' to two NCAA Tournament appearances. She is one of only five female players to score over 3,000 points in her career, and was twice named Academic All-America. In 2013, she won a Gold Medal at the World University Games with Team USA. Her impressive career has earned her a spot on the list of Honda Player of the Year.
Delaware Blue Hens win
The Delaware Blue Hens' star defender earned All-American distinctions three times throughout her career. In 2013, she helped the Blue Hens to the NCAA women’s tournament. She currently sits at 11th all time in scoring. Donne graduated from College of Education and Human Development and is currently the Colonial Athletic Association's all-time leading scorer. This endorsement is huge for college basketball players.
Delaware basketball faces the biggest challenge this season: proving that their support staff is capable of handling the task. With a star such as Elena Delle Donne sat out the first few weeks, the rest of the team will be forced to prove itself in the second half. The team has several lines to fill, particularly in the first act, as the star will be sidelined due to Lyme disease.