Two-time WNBA MVP reportedly taking break from sport

While the NBA is engulfed in the excitement of this year's trade deadline, stunning news broke from the WNBA world on Wednesday.

According to Romona Shelburne of ESPN, former MVP Elena Delle Donne has informed the Washington Mystics that she won't be signing a one-year supermax offer with the team and will instead take some time away from basketball.

"Delle Donne continued to weigh her career options and decided this week that she needs more time to think about her future in the game," Shelburne wrote. "Before the free agency process, Delle Donne, who has come back from multiple back surgeries, told the organization that she was unsure about her future, in the hopes she would not interfere with the Mystics' offseason plans." 

The Mystics designated Delle Donne as a "core player," essentially eliminating her unrestricted free-agent status. Shelburne speculated that if Delle Donne were to sit out the entire 2024 campaign, the team would potentially exercise that right again. 

The news, which breaks five days after the WNBA free agency signing period opened on Feb. 2, ends speculation on where Delle Donne might end up. 

Delle Donne missed nearly two full seasons of action due to multiple injuries and back surgeries. Ultimately, she made a triumphant return to the WNBA toward the end of the 2021 season. However, over the last two campaigns, injuries have continued to slow down the 34-year-old, who's played in only 48 of 76 games since 2022. 

The league MVP twice (2015 and 2019), Delle Donne led the Mystics to its first championship in franchise history in 2019. Through 10 professional seasons, she ranks among the top 20 in WNBA history in blocks (18th, 347), points per game (fifth, 19.5), player efficiency rating (third, 27.9), free-throw percentage (first, .937) and offensive rating (first, 123.1).