WNBA Icon Elena Delle Donne Announces Retirement After Decorated Career

The two-time MVP and 2019 champion cited physical challenges as a key factor in her decision to step away from professional basketball.

Elena Delle Donne officially announced her retirement from professional basketball via Instagram on April 4, 2025, concluding a storied 11-year WNBA career.
Delle Donne, a two-time MVP and seven-time All-Star, led the Washington Mystics to their first WNBA Championship in 2019, playing through significant back injuries.
Her decision follows years of physical challenges, including multiple back surgeries and health concerns related to Lyme Disease, which limited her play in recent seasons.
She opted out of the 2020 WNBA bubble season and sat out the 2024 season after declining a one-year supermax offer from the Mystics.
Her retirement marks the end of an era, as she joins other WNBA legends like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Candace Parker in stepping away from the game, signaling a generational transition in the league.