Elena Delle Donne

As of Jan. 27, 2023

USA Basketball Notes

Gold Medals: 2018 FIBA World Cup, 2016 Olympics, 2011 World University Games.
Owns a 26-0 record in USA Basketball games played.
Invited to attend 2023 USA Women's National Team minicamp from Feb. 6-9 in Minneapolis.
Invited to attend 2022 USA Basketball Women’s National Team training camp from Sept. 6-12 in Las Vegas but did not attend.
Participated in the 2022 USA National Team's February training camp in Washington, D.C.
2017-20 USA National Team:
- Sustained a back injury during the 2019 WNBA Playoffs and was unable to participate in the USA's fall 2019 and winter 2020 training and competition.
- One of eight players who have committed to participate in the USA's 2019-20 expanded training program as announced on July 27, 2019.
- Helped lead the USA to the 2018 FIBA World Cup gold medal and a perfect 6-0 slate; averaged 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds.
- Joined the 2018 USA squad in Tenerife, Spain, after helping lead the Mystics to the WNBA Finals and did not participate in the team's exhibition games.
- Named to the competition squad, but was injured and unable to compete in the 2018 USA National Team’s exhibition victory over China on April 26 in Seattle.
- Participated in the USA’s winter 2018 training camp in Columbia, South Carolina.
Captured her first Olympic gold medal in 2016, averaged 8.6 points in aiding the U.S. to a perfect 8-0 record; averaged 13.0 points as the USA earned a 4-0 slate in pre-Olympic exhibition play.
Competed in her first games as a member of the USA National Team during its 2015 European Tour. Started three of four games and averaged a team second-best 13.8 points in helping the USA to a 4-0 record.
Was invited to participate in the 2014 USA World Championship Team training camp, but was unable to attend after helping lead the Chicago Sky to the WNBA Finals.
Participated in her first USA National Team training camp during the USA’s October 2013 minicamp in Las Vegas.
Member of the 2011 USA World University Games Team that finished with a 6-0 record and claimed gold in Shenzhen, China; averaged 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds to lead the USA in scoring and rebounding.
Named to the 2007 USA U19 World Championship Team, but withdrew for personal reasons.
Attended the 2006 USA U18 National Team Trials but was injured and unable to participate.

Professional Notes

Drafted: No. 2 by the Chicago Sky in 2013, traded to the Washington Mystics on Feb. 2, 2017.
WNBA MVP: 2015, 2019.
WNBA Title: 2019.
All-WNBA first team: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019.
All-WNBA second team: 2013.
WNBA All-Star Games: 2013 (injured), 2014 (illness), 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019.
WNBA Rookie of the Year: 2013.
WNBA All-Rookie Team: 2013.
WNBA scoring champ: 2015
Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award: 2014, 2015.
Appeared and started in 25 games for the Washington Mystics in 2022. She averaged 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in 27.8 minutes.
Did not play in the 2020 season and saw action in just three games in 2021 due to injury.
Averaged a league second-best 19.5 points, fifth-best 8.3 rebounds and became the first WNBA player to shoot at least 50 percent from the field (51.5), 40 percent from three-point range (43.0) and 90 percent from the free throw line (WNBA-high 97.4) en route to 2019 MVP honors.
In her four seasons in Chicago, the Sky posted a 78-58 (.574) regular season record and 7-12 (.368) in the playoffs; in her first three years in Washington, the Mystics compiled a 66-36 overall record and advanced to the 2017 playoffs and 2018 and 2019 WNBA Finals.
Missed half of the 2014 season due to being sidelined by Lyme Disease, competed in 16 games and averaged 17.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in helping the Sky to the WNBA finals.
Aided the Sky in 2013 to a 24-10 mark, its best record in franchise history, the Eastern Conference regular season title and the Sky’s first playoff berth.
Was the leading vote-getter for the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game, but was injured and unable to compete.
Swept all 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Month honors.
Has opted to train and conduct youth clinics in the United States in the WNBA off-seasons.

College Years

During her four years, helped lead Delaware to a 104-32 record (.765), the 2013 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, 2012 NCAA second round, a pair of WNITs, two Colonial Athletic Association regular season titles and two CAA tournament crowns.
Senior C.L.A.S.S. Award and Honda Award (2013).
WBCA, Associated Press, USBWA and John R. Wooden Award All-American first team (2013).
Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year and CAA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2013).
Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Outstanding Amateur Athlete of the Year (2013).
CAA Player of the Year (2011, 2012, 2013).
All-CAA first team (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013).
CAA All-Tournament Team (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and MVP (2013).
Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association John J. Brady Athlete of the Year (2011).
CAA All-Defensive and All-Rookie Team (2010).
Ranks eighth among all-time NCAA Division I scoring leaders with 3,039 points.
Spent her freshman season playing volleyball.

Personal Notes

Hails from Wilmington, Delaware; daughter of Ernest and Joan Delle Donne, has an older sister, Elizabeth (Lizzie), and an older brother, Gene.
Married to Amanda Clifton on Nov. 3, 2017.
Partnered with PETA to raise awareness on adopting shelter dogs in an ad campaign in 2019 #AdoptDontShop (WATCH).
Builds and sells handmade furniture for DelleDonne Designs.
Has written a series of books for middle-school children, and The Hoops Collection includes Elle of the Ball, Full-Court Press, Out of Bounds, Digging Deep and Swish (more information).
Early childhood education major at Delaware with a focus in special education and earned her bachelor’s degree in human services.
If she was not a professional basketball player, Delle Donne would be a special education teacher.
Has a pair of dogs, a Great Dane named Wrigley and a rescued Lab mix named Rasta.
Favorite musician is Katy Perry.
Her father played basketball and golf at Columbia, and her brother played football at Duke.
Missed 12 games as a sophomore after being diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
Is an ambassador for Lyme Research Alliance.
As a Special Olympics Global Ambassador since 2014, Delle Donne works alongside the organization to advance opportunities for those with intellectual disabilities worldwide.
Her sister was born deaf and blind, has cerebral palsy and autism, and is an inspiration to Elena. They communicate through tactile sign language, often referred to as hand-over-hand sign language, as well as through the sense of touch and smell.
Michael Jordan has had the most influence on Delle Donne in the sport of basketball.
Is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
Enjoys playing golf.
She has a tattoo of angel wings with her sister Lizzie inside of them. “It keeps me grounded, and anytime I'm going through a struggle, it's a reminder that anything I'm going through is nothing compared to what my sister has been through. It helps me keep my perspective.”

Social

Twitter: @De11eDonne
Instagram: @de11edonne
Web: elenadelledonne.com

USA Basketball Statistics

TEAM	G/S	MIN/G	FGM-A	PCT	3PM-A	PCT	FTM-A	PCT	REB/AVG	PTS/AVG	AST	TO	BLK	STL
2018 WC	5/ 0	14.2	17- 28	.607	3- 7	.429	2- 3	.667	18/ 3.6	39/ 7.8	5	1	4	2
2016 OLY	7/ 0	17.0	20- 40	.500	5- 15	.333	15- 17	.882	23/ 3.3	60/ 8.6	19	6	4	3
2016 OLYx	4/ 1	18.8	20- 32	.625	3- 8	.375	9- 9	1.000	12/ 3.0	53/ 13.0	2	2	4	0
2015 WNT	4/ 3	22.5	23- 47	.489	3- 11	.273	6- 8	.750	18/ 4.5	55/ 13.8	9	3	2	3
2011 WUG	6/ 6	22.7	37- 82	.451	11- 25	.440	9- 12	.750	51/ 8.5	94/ 15.7	18	10	5	3
Totals	26/10		117-229	.511	25- 66	.379	41- 49	.837	122/4.7	301/11.6	53	22	19	11