WNBA star Elena Delle Donne retires after 11 seasons and the 2019 championship

The seven-time WNBA all-star Elena Delle Donne, a two-time MVP of the league and an important part of the 2019 Washington championship, retires after eleven seasons.

The 35 -year -old Delle Donne made the announcement on social media on Friday and on Friday referred a line from one of her favorite books from childhood with the inscription: “How did it come so late?”

“I asked myself again and again wrote on Instagram. “To be able to say that loudly was one of the hardest parts of my career. My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it, but now I really know that this is the right thing for me at the right time.”

The second overall selection in 2013 by Chicago, Delle Donne, spent a dozen years as one of the faces of the WNBA. She played the last six seasons of her career in Washington – she decided on health concerns from 2020 – and decided to make a contract in February 2024 to move away from basketball.

In 241 games of the regular season, she scored an average of 19.5 points and 6.7 rebounds. She also played in 40 playoffs games, where she achieved an average of 17.9 points, 6.1 boards and 2.3 templates.

“Words cannot expressly express how grateful I am my family, all my incredible teammates, friends, managers, sponsors, employees and, above all, the amazing fans who accompanied me on this trip,” she wrote. “This game was my life and I am grateful for the memories and how much I did.

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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