Sky legend Elena Delle Donne trusted herself all the way to the Hall of Fame
— Elena Delle Donne was the kind of player you hadn’t seen before.</p><p>That’s how UConn coach Geno Auriemma described her in 2008: a 6’6 forward who could shoot, pass and dribble.</p><p>She ultimately expanded the possibilities of the forward position, helping set the template for the “big guards” who dominate the game today.</p><p>Maybe what made her most special, though, was choosing not to play for Auriemma.</p><p>Delle Donne left UConn almost as soon as she arrived, returning home to Delaware. She just wasn't loving basketball anymore.
Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
— Elena Delle Donne was the kind of player you hadn’t seen before.</p><p>That’s how UConn coach Geno Auriemma described her in 2008: a 6’6 forward who could shoot, pass and dribble.</p><p>She ultimately expanded the possibilities of the forward position, helping set the template for the “big guards” who dominate the game today.</p><p>Maybe what made her most special, though, was choosing not to play for Auriemma.</p><p>Delle Donne left UConn almost as soon as she arrived, returning home to Delaware. She just wasn't loving basketball anymore. More than that, she was struggling to be without her sister, Lizzie, who is deaf and blind and has cerebral palsy, and with whom Delle Donne can communicate only in person.</p><p>She felt everything crashing down at once.</p><p>Now, at 36 and headed into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Delle Donne is proud of the 18-year-old who had the courage to step away.</p><p>“Luckily, because I was brave enough to … give it up, I was also able to realize I’m blaming the game of basketball for a lot of other things I haven’t figured out in life,” she said.</p><p>Listening to Delle Donne reflect on her career, one thing came through most clearly: She really, deeply loves basketball. She just wanted to make sure that love was her own.</p><p>It was.</p><p>When Delle Donne got the call about the Hall of Fame, the first memory that flashed wasn’t from college or the WNBA.
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- — Elena Delle Donne was the kind of player you hadn’t seen before.</p><p>That’s how UConn coach Geno Auriemma described her in 2008: a 6’6 forward who could shoot, pass and dribble.</p><p>She ultimately expanded the possibilities of the forward position, helping set the template for the “big guards” who dominate the game today.</p><p>Maybe what made her most special, though, was choosing not to play for Auriemma.</p><p>Delle Donne left UConn almost as soon as she arrived, returning home to Delaware. She just wasn't loving basketball anymore.
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- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
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Sky legend Elena Delle Donne trusted herself all the way to the Hall of Fame
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times