Elena Delle Donne’s Hall-of-Fame qualifications have never been in doubt.
Now the Delaware native is poised for possible induction.
Delle Donne has some tough competition, though, as she was one of 21 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame finalists for 2026 enshrinement announced Feb. 11.
Washington Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne (11) reacts after a 3-point basket in 2019.
Enshrinees will be announced April 4 with induction ceremonies Aug. 14 at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. The hall of fame is located in Springfield, Massachusetts.
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Delle Donne is one of five nominees from the women’s committee along with the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, Jennifer Azzi, Candace Parker and Chamique Holdsclaw.
What are Elena Delle Donne’s qualifications?
The 6-foot-5 Delle Donne was WNBA MVP in 2015 for the Chicago Sky and 2019 when she sparked the Washington Mystics to the league title.
She was also league Rookie of the Year in 2013, made seven all-star teams and was a four-time first-team All-WNBA choice.
Delle Donne was among the 25 players who made the WNBA’s 25th anniversary team, along with Parker.
Her WNBA career lasted from 2013-23, though she missed the 2020 season and played only three games in 2021.
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Delle Donne holds the WNBA career record for free-throw percentage (.937); is No. 5 all-time in points per game (19.5); and has a 123.0 offensive rating, which incorporates several statistics, that’s the best in league history.
She was also a gold medalist on the 2016 U.S. Olympic team.
Has a Delawarean ever been inducted?
Delle Donne, a Greenville area native who starred at Wilmington’s Ursuline Academy and the University of Delaware, would be the first Delaware native so honored.
Walter Davis, a 2024 inductee who starred at the University of North Carolina and was a six-time NBA all-star, did attend Sanford School as a post-graduate student in 1972-73 after finishing high school in North Carolina.
Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics shoots against A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces in the third quarter of their game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Aug. 31, 2023, in Las Vegas.
What were her Delaware exploits?
Delle Donne was first in a 2022 ranking of Delaware’s all-time most accomplished athletes.
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Her 2,818 career points at Ursruline remain a Delaware high school record, boys or girls. She sparked Ursuline to four state titles and was a five-time first-team All-State selection. Her sophomore year Delle Donne set a national record by connecting on 80 consecutive free throws.
She was 2008 consensus national high school player of the year as a senior and signed with NCAA power Connecticut. But Delle Donne left UConn after less than 48 hours, initially citing basketball burnout but later realizing homesickness and detachment from family were the real causes.
Elena Delle Donne drives past North Carolina forward Krista Gross in the University of Delaware’s 2013 NCAA tourney win.
Delle Donne enrolled at Delaware, where she played volleyball as a freshman in the fall of 2008 on a team that reached the NCAA Tournament. She then returned to basketball in the 2009-10 season.
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Delle Donne finished her Delaware career as the No. 5 scorer in NCAA Division I women’s history with 3,039 career points despite missing 22 games due to illness or injuries. She was a three-time All-American.
She sparked Delaware to Colonial Athletic Association titles in 2011-12 and 2012-13, when Delaware regularly earned national Top 25 notice. The Blue Hens were 42-0 in CAA games and 63-6 overall those two years and beat West Virginia and North Carolina in the 2013 NCAA Tournament before losing to Kentucky in the Sweet 16.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Elena Delle Donne is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame finalist
