Elena Delle Donne

One of the most outstanding athletes in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBA), Elena Delle Donne distinguished herself and her team, the Chicago Sky, with league records in points and three visits to the playoffs during her first three years as a professional player. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, she inherited her considerable height - 6'5" - from her parents, both of whom were above the six-foot mark. Delle Donne first came to national attention as a student at Ursuline Academy, where she helped lead the school's basketball team to three straight state championship titles. Her stellar record of more than 2,000 points and 80 consecutive free throws helped to make her the top high school recruit in the country, and a 2008 scholarship to the University of Connecticut soon followed. However, she left the school after just two days in its summer program, citing burnout, though her close relationship with her sister, Lizzie, who had cerebral palsy in addition to being blind and deaf. Delle Donne instead enrolled at the University of Delaware as a volleyball player, and followed the Blue Hens to the NCAA tournament, which they lost to Oregon. The following year, Delle Donne joined the Delaware basketball team and enjoyed a solid freshman year with 26.7 points per game, which earned her Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Her sophomore season was largely unmoored when she was diagnosed with Lyme's disease, but she rebounded the following year to lead the nation in scoring with 28.1 points per game. In 2012, she passed the 2,000 point mark for her college career, which helped Delaware qualify for the NCAA Women's Division 1 Basketball Tournament. She would score 39 points in the first round and 34 in the second, but lost to the University of Kansas. Delle Donne was again sidelined by Lyme's disease in her senior year, but returned to play after four games and led the team in scoring in 22 regular games, which brought Delaware back to the NCAA Women's Division 1 tournament. Though she helped the team topple the top-ranked West Virginia team, Delaware would again fall to Kentucky in 2013. Following graduation, Delle Donne was drafted second overall by the Chicago Sky, and scored 22 points in her debut game, which helped mint her the 2013 Rookie of the Year. After helping the Sky qualify for the playoffs in 2013 - a first in franchise history - Delle Donne was again forced to play just 16 games in the 2014 season due to Lyme's disease, though she returned with fervor to the playoffs, scoring 45 points in the final two games before the Sky fell to the Phoenix Mercury. In her 2015 season, Delle Donne lead the league in scoring with 23.4 points per game, including a career high 45 points in overtime against Atlanta, which helped mint her as the WNBA MVP. Her numbers were only slightly lower for the 2016 season - 21.5 points per game - but she was forced to miss the playoffs due to surgery on her right thumb. She was able to play for the 2016 Olympic team and share in its gold medal win over Spain that year.