Why did Elena Delle Donne leave UConn? Exploring 2x WNBA MVP's college career in light of retirement
Elena Delle Donne had an excellent basketball career at both the college and WNBA levels. She was the second pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, won a WNBA championship in 2019 with the Washington Mystics, and was a two-time MVP. However, on Thursday, she announced her retirement from the WNBA.
Elena Delle Donne had a tremendous basketball career, but her college experience started out strangely. As one of the most heavily recruited players in her year, she accepted an offer to go to UConn.
However, after only two days at UConn's summer school program, she dropped out. She left because of health issues of her sister and a desire to be closer to home.
Why did Elena Delle Donne leave UConn?
Elena Delle Donne's older sister, Lizzie, has dealt with many health issues since she was born. She has cerebral palsy and is also blind and deaf. Shortly after Delle Donne left to go to UConn, she realized that she was not ready to be separated from her family.
Shortly after she returned home, she released a statement explaining why she left UConn.
"Both UConn and I require a 100% dedication to the sport, and as of now, I feel I cannot give that level of commitment," she said in the release. "It, therefore, would be unfair to the excellent program, Coach Geno Auriemma, the team and UConn fans for me to play."
"I have a lot of personal issues to fix. Only my family understands what's going on. Right now, I am going to take a long personal break."
Donne then committed to Delaware and played four seasons with the team, starting in the 2009-10 season. She was an immediate star with the Blue Hens and went on to be a three-time CAA Player of the Year.
She finished her college career as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA Division I women's basketball history with 3,039 points across her four seasons.
What if Elena Delle Donne had stayed at UConn?
The UConn Huskies are the most successful women's basketball program in the nation. They have won 11 National Championships, beating its next closest competitor, Tennessee, which has eight.
It is impossible to know exactly what would have happened if Donne stayed at UConn, but she likely would have had more team success than she did at Delaware. At Delaware, her deepest run was to the Sweet 16 in 2013.
While Donne was in college, UConn won two National Championships and reached the Final Four in the other two seasons. If she had been there, it is possible the team would have won the championship all four years.