Elena Delle Donne sidelined again, this time with hip injury

The Washington Mystics were without star Elena Delle Donne for Sunday’s 97-84 loss to the Dallas Wings. Delle Donne missed the game with a hip injury, Washington head coach Eric Thibault announced, per Tyler Bynum of NBC Sports Washington.

Delle Donne had returned to the court after a 12-game absence from an ankle injury on Friday. However, the two-time WNBA MVP played 11 minutes after she “jarred” her hip during a “funny stop.” in Washington’s win over Indiana. She did not play in the second half.

Thibault said the hip injury developed during Delle Donne’s recovery from her ankle injury. Yet, she felt ready to play. Unfortunately, the ailment has sidelined her. There is no timetable for her return.

Delle Donne won her second WNBA MVP in 2019, the same year the Mystics claimed its first WNBA championship. She had three herniated discs in her back during that title run. The injury forced her to undergo surgery in 2020.

She rehabbed and returned for three games in 2021. Last season she played 25 games and entered this year feeling her healthiest in the recent past. Yet, she’s now missed half of the Mystics’ 32 games.

The Mystics have a 15-17 record and are seventh in the WNBA standings. But they have lost seven of their last ten with injuries piling.

Thibault assures that Delle Donne’s ankle feels good. But the hip is now another ailment that will hamper her.

Elena Delle Donne will turn 34 years old next month. She is in the final year of a four-year.