Report: Elena Delle Donne to Take Time Away from WNBA, Won’t Sign Mystics Contract

Erin WalshFebruary 8, 2024

John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Elena Delle Donne is stepping away from basketball and won’t sign the one-year supermax offer she received from the Washington Mystics ahead of the 2024 season, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

It’s unclear how long Delle Donne will be away from the game. She made her decision to step away this week and “needs more time to think about her future in the game,” per Shelburne.

Before free agency began, Delle Donne informed the Mystics that “she was unsure about her future, in the hopes she would not interfere with the Mystics’ offseason plans,” Shelburne added.

Washington then placed the core designation on Delle Donne and still holds the rights to her contract.

Khristina Williams @KhristinaThe Washington Mystics will still hold the rights to the contract of Elena Delle Donne. https://t.co/KDOqLCPUQa

Delle Donne has spent the last six seasons of her career in Washington after getting her start with the Chicago Sky in 2013 as the second overall pick in the WNBA draft.

The 34-year-old earned one of her two WNBA MVP awards with the Mystics and has also earned four of her seven All-Star selections in Washington. She helped the franchise win a WNBA title in 2019.

Delle Donne put together a solid 2023 season, averaging 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 23 games while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from deep. However, the Mystics finished with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 18-22 and suffered a first-round playoff loss to the New York Liberty.

With the Mystics again not expected to contend for a title in 2024, it’s no surprise Delle Donne is weighing her options.

The Mystics open the 2024 season on May 14 against the Liberty with a roster highlighted by Brittney Sykes, Ariel Atkins and Myisha Hines-Allen.