Since hoisting the 2019 WNBA championship trophy, Washington Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne has played just three games. The two-time WNBA MVP, who is immunocompromised, sat out the 2020 season because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, after offseason surgery, Delle Donne managed about 52 minutes before back issues derailed the remainder of the year.
“It’s a whole different year; I feel so much better,” Delle Donne said at the team’s preseason media press conference. “I’m not sitting here needing to stand up because I’m in pain — that’s the biggest thing.”
Delle Donne also talked about learning how to move her body to take pressure off her back.