Two-time WNBA MVP and 2019 champion Elena Delle Donne announced her retirement from basketball on Friday 2 pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft out of Delaware and went on to have one of the most accomplished careers for a player of her generation the former Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics forward made seven All-Star appearances four All-WNBA first-teams and won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2016 Olympics Delle Donne was named to the WNBA 25th Anniversary Team She sat out last year’s WNBA season and was currently unsigned Back surgeries and other injuries limited her availability during her final seasons Delle Donne will serve as a special adviser to Monumental Basketball, the parent company of the Mystics “One of my favorite children’s books asked ‘How did it get so late so soon?’ ” Delle Donne wrote in her Instagram post announcing her retirement “I have asked myself that over and over again in the process of coming to the decision to retire from playing basketball Being able to say that out loud was one of the hardest parts of my career My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time.” A post shared by Elena Delle Donne (@de11edonne) The Mystics used their core designation on Delle Donne ahead of free agency last offseason which would have entailed a one-year deal and the league maximum salary Washington did not use its core designation on Delle Donne this offseason leading some to wonder whether she would retire Delle Donne entered the WNBA after back-to-back seasons as a first-team All-American at Delaware in 2011-12 and 2012-13 She won WNBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2013 with Chicago and led the Sky to the playoffs in all four of her seasons with the franchise Chicago traded her to Washington before the 2017 season “Elena Delle Donne has been a transformative force for the Washington Mystics and women’s basketball,” Monumental Sports & Entertainment chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis said in the statement and ambassador will leave a permanent mark on the game shaping the next chapter for Monumental Basketball and all we’re building.” After leading Washington to the 2019 WNBA championship she continued to play at a high level until injuries curtailed the latter part of her career She played only three games in 2021 after undergoing a pair of back surgeries playing in only 25 games and missed time in 2023 with ankle and hip injuries “Words cannot adequately express how thankful I am to my family staff and most importantly the amazing fans that have accompanied me on this journey,” Delle Donne said “This game has been my life and I am grateful for the memories and how much it’s given me.” Not only will Delle Donne no longer be with the franchise but the Mystics hired a new coach and general manager this offseason Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application She found joy in watching the Minnesota Vikings play keeping up with each new season of Survivor You would often find her bringing laughter and joy to her friends at the Eagles Club on Friday evenings solidifying her connection to the community often taking scenic drives to look for deer and savoring tropical vacations each year to spend time on the beach She shared these adventures alongside her husband She cherished the time spent with her family especially her grandchildren—Mazin Sanchez and Jan's life was further enriched by the special companionship of her cats who were an enduring source of comfort and joy and Jesse Tuttle; grandchildren Mazin Sanchez and Ryleigh Jensen; grandmother Marion Floyd (Beckman); and her siblings Karen (Ken) Anderson Jan also leaves behind a circle of special friends and several extended family members who cherished her deeply and Evelyn Leib (Beckman); her brother John “Skip” Leib III; her niece Allison Marshall; sister-in-law Jody Delle; and brother-in-law Jeffrey Delle This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors I got to see Elena Delle Donne play a home game at Delaware let me elaborate on what that night meant and the greatness of her career I feel like I’ve told the story 1,000 times I was a little embarrassed to be sharing it in such an emotional way It was just one trip to the University of Delaware My sports writing career is filled with experiences that haven’t repeated much, if at all. In person, there’s been one women’s NCAA Tournament, one WNBA season one FCS selection show and one year’s worth of New Hampshire state championships for high school soccer I’ve gotten one feature published by USA TODAY One of my few brushes with Maryland men’s basketball was interviewing Gary Williams over the phone Yet the brevity of these experiences makes them mystical (yes, Mystical) in my memory. The perfect anecdotes. Yet the only one I’ve written about in a memoir-like fashion is my night at The Bob because it meant being closer to her sister The home of mid-major underdogs to whom she was the Goliath who decided to team up with them It was the December of 2012. The season of “Three to See”: Baylor’s Brittney Griner first Delle Donne second and Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins (now Diggins-Smith) third and I witnessed the difference in Delle Donne that night She went 5-for-20 from the field but 2-for-3 from deep and showed flashes of the dominant offensive skill set that would wreak havoc across the WNBA for years to come despite it being her first game back from a Lyme disease-induced absence her career college stats would speak for themselves: She nearly went 50-40-90 (48.1 percent from the field) for 3,039 points (26.7 per game) Delle Donne was asked: Would Delware have won if she had been 100 percent I’ll always remember how head coach Tina Martin interjected “We’re in the here and now,” Martin said Maryland is the ninth-ranked team in the country we stay in the here and now and no we cannot beat Maryland they just beat us on our home floor and they played better than we did and they rebounded the basketball.” 6 seed in the Big Dance and Maryland would get a No but Delaware came a whole lot closer to the Elite Eight losing by seven in the Sweet 16 compared to the Terps’ 26-point loss (albeit to a team in UConn that went on to win the first championship of four in a row) That Sweet 16 appearance for the Blue Hens meant a whole lot it’s the furthest the Delaware women have been and it solidified Delle Donne’s legacy in her home state A moment from Delle Donne’s pro career that really stuck out to me is when she was denied medical leave for the 2020 Wubble season and went on SportsCenter (see video below) to explain that she was taking 64 pills a day to keep Lyme disease at bay and the courage it takes to face the risks that come with it in order to play the sport you love She’s one of the greatest offensive players to ever play the game She holds the best career free throw percentage of any WNBA comfortably ahead of Steph Curry’s 91.11 percent The game will miss you, Elena. It’s awesome to see you staying close to the Mystics organization as a special advisor to Monumental Basketball because you mean so much to Mystics fans like me Christopher Froome goes solo on the Colle delle Finestre mountain pass during the 19th stage of the Giro d'Italia in 2018 Snow is possible on the Colle Delle Finestre Looking back on one of the most memorable stages in Giro history and why this climb is already an icon of the race When we think about the iconic climbs of the Giro d'Italia we tend to think of those that have been a long part of the race's history Even the more modern additions – like the Mortirolo – date back to the first inclusions in the 1990s But amongst the list of the Corsa Rosa's defining climbs, there is one that hasn't needed much time at all to already build a mythical status. The Colle delle Finestre only appeared in the Giro d'Italia for the first time in 2005, but, as it returns to the 2025 race route just winning that KoM point is a badge of honour as the riders crest 2,178m on the way to Sestriere.  The Colle delle Finestre is not just any long with an average gradient of a taxing 9.1% – notably high for a climb of that length – and with many pitches well above that constantly twisting and turning its way to the top but the Finestre is far from a trendy climb forcing riders to tackle leg-sapping gravel on an already grim climb Coming on the final day of 'real' racing before the procession day into Rome the Finestre stage in this year's Giro will cap off a tough last week of climbing and offer up the very last opportunity to shake up the GC As long as snowfall doesn't prevent the race from getting up there and the excitement is high after seven years of absence for this iconic ascent What is it that makes this climb so special but much of the anticipation comes from what happened the last time the Giro visited the Finestre – one of the greatest and most memorable rides in recent history.  On the morning of May 25, 2018, the peloton was preparing for the 19th stage of the Giro d'Italia a 184km day from Venaria Reale to Bardonecchia with the Colle dell Finestre in the middle 28 seconds clear of the defending Giro champion Tom Dumoulin and the last two days of the race looked like they would be a two-horse battle with third place Domenico Pozzovivo 2:43 back fans and journalists alike were so busy thinking about who might prevail out of Yates and Dumoulin on the Finestre – the small pure climber or the steady engine – that barely a thought was paid to Chris Froome that morning 3:44 back in fourth after struggling with a crash on the first day Five hours and 12 minutes later, however, Froome had turned the race on its head Froome did something that at the time was practically unheard of in what would turn into a huge and memorable solo ride.  his rivals initially couldn't close the gap to Froome but may have expected that they could bring him back on the next climb gaining over three minutes on the rest of the GC contenders and putting himself into a race lead that he would take to Rome "It was probably the most memorable day on the bike for me," Froome recently told Cyclingnews "In terms of the victories I've had in my career it really was the most memorable when I look back." Often labelled as being a particularly controlled Froome has since described that day as a chance he got to show his true personality on the bike Even when he thought up the idea – a decision made on the morning of the stage – his own team were not sure it was achievable but what if I went 80ks out?'" Froome explained in a 2019 video with Science in Sport released to mark the one-year anniversary of the day so important it warranted an anniversary and his reply was a little bit along the lines of… He didn't say no it would take a lot of work to do something like that'." what Froome and Team Sky did that day would alter our understanding of race physiology for a long time that is what made the difference and made that win on the Finestre possible was fueling gravel climb was the launchpad for the move and an intense feeding strategy was what made it possible to stay away.  "Fuelling was a big part of that day for me and I think that's one thing that's just changed even more now since then," he explained "We've really started paying a lot more attention to fuelling to allow for those kind of performances." with Team Sky deploying as many staff members as possible on the road to hand up gels and carbohydrate drinks with six people stationed on the Finestre alone.  Data released by Team Sky after the fact showed that Froome planned to take on 14 gels and two bottles of Science in Sport Beta Fuel for a total of 502g of carbs during the race but now in an era where riders will regularly aim for 120g per hour or more it's easy to see just how things have changed and progressed.  unsurprisingly referencing his high carb intake as a reason why that was possible It's a change Froome is more than aware of and extremely different from even a few years ago when he used to dominate the biggest stage races If you only started watching cycling in the last four or five years it may be difficult to understand quite how rare such a huge move was back then now it's become a lot more common in the peloton I mean Frigo did it yesterday," Froome said guys are attacking further and further from the finish but back then it just wasn't something that we saw from GC riders.  "Maybe it was the start of something," he said of that fateful day on the Finestre.  Whilst we may think that riders like Tadej Pogačar Mathieu van der Poel or Remco Evenepoel just have more vim vigour and racing spark and that's why they attack from so early on – and Froome himself conceded to Cyclingnews that he's simply not a rider like these modern racers – but they don't win on brave attacks alone Why they're able to succeed is down to a much more meticulous way of taking on and using energy and that's something that Froome's Finestre win undeniably accelerated.  Despite the increased frequency and capability for long-range attacks in the peloton but the inclusion of the Colle delle Finestre in the final week of the Giro could change that.  The Giro is built a little differently this year with fewer mountaintop finishes than usual and more medium so the huge day to Sestriere on the final Friday should represent a big opportunity.  "The third week of the Giro is definitely a lot more heavily loaded in terms of climbs but I think a day like that really is one of the stand-out stages of the Giro," was Froome's assessment of the climb's inclusion in the 2025 route and I think teams will really put it all on the line to go for the win." the exceptionally tough Colle delle Finestre simply offers more opportunities for unpredictability with the gravel and the hairpins making this much more complicated than 'just' a big Froome's audacious win may have been largely a physiological triumph but there's a reason why it was the Finestre that launched the move and not just any other climb and that's because it's a beast in nature that is open to the unexpected The only sticking point is that, at the time of writing, there are concerns about whether the Finestre will actually be passable, due to heavy snowfall in the area but that's not an overly long time for the snow to clear.  being under the threat of the weather only helps the Finestre's cause in establishing itself as a legendary climb as it now shares that with the Stelvio and the Gavia both often proved impassable by snow.  threats of snow and a race so iconic it's still remembered recalled and discussed years later – the Colle delle Finestre really does have all the ingredients of an iconic Grand Tour climb even if it's only been part of the Giro for twenty years Chris Froome may not be in the Giro peloton tackling the climb this year and an 80km solo move may not be as outlandish as it was back then but the Brit will always be part of this climb's history a new story will write itself into the Finestre mythology this May Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. In a career spanning 10 seasons, Delle Donne established her greatness by becoming the first player to earn MVP honors with two different franchises (Chicago Sky; 2015, Washington Mystics; 2019). In 2021, she was named to the WNBA’s 25 greatest and most influential players in league history as part of the WNBA’s 25th anniversary celebration. Additionally, she was a member of Team USA that captured gold during the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. From 2013 to 2023, Delle Donne was named to both the 2013 All-Rookie First Team and 2013 All-WNBA Second Team, along with four All-WNBA First Team selections (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). She holds career averages of 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game. Considered one of the best free throw shooters in basketball, Delle Donne finished her career with a free throw shooting percentage of 93.7% throughout her career. The Delaware native attended the University of Delaware where she was a two-time AP All-America. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne has retired from basketball, saying in an Instagram post that her body "seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it." Delle Donne won a WNBA title with the Washington Mystics in 2019 but was hampered by multiple back surgeries and did not play in the league in 2024. "One of my favorite children's books asked, 'How did it get so late so soon?'" Delle Donne wrote in her post. "I have asked myself that over and over again in the process of coming to the decision to retire from playing basketball. Being able to say that out loud was one of the hardest parts of my career. My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Elena Delle Donne (@de11edonne) Delle Donne was drafted No. 2 overall by the Chicago Sky in 2013 and pushed for a trade to the Mystics after the 2016 season She won the 2019 title with Washington while playing with three herniated disks she had the only 50-40-90 season in league history when she shot 51.5% from the field 43% from behind the 3-point line and 97.4% from the foul line "She put us over the top," former Mystics coach Mike Thibault told The Associated Press "We were trying to build to where we could have a team that somebody like her would want to play with and we could win the championship that she was seeking and that we were seeking." But Delle Donne didn't play in the 2020 season in the COVID-19 bubble in Bradenton and was limited to three games by back issues in 2021 before playing 25 games in 2022 and 23 in 2023 She missed the 2024 season after deciding not to sign a one-year supermax offer from the Mystics Thibault recounted the many hours Delle Donne spent in the gym trying to maintain her body while dealing with an assortment of injuries and illness such as Lyme disease she had a lot of days in the arena that started at 6 a.m. she was still doing another treatment or massage or whatever it would take to be able to play," Thibault said becoming the first player to receive the honor with two different teams She was a seven-time All-Star and a four-time All-WNBA first-team selection over her 11 seasons "Words cannot adequately express how thankful I am to my family staff and most importantly the amazing fans that have accompanied me on this journey," Delle Donne wrote and I am grateful for the memories and how much it's given me It feels good to close this chapter knowing I gave it my all and I can't wait for what's next!" who also won an Olympic gold medal with USA Basketball in 2016 averaged 19.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in 241 regular-season games She retires as the league's career leader in free throw shooting at 93.7% Delle Donne came onto the scene in high school as one of the most sought after recruits in the country. She originally committed to UConn before deciding at the last minute to come home to Delaware to be closer to her sister After she stepped away from basketball to play volleyball her first year at the school she missed the sport too much and came back to play hoops She helped Delaware reach unprecedented heights in her time there carrying the Blue Hens to their first Sweet 16 and finishing with more than 3,000 points in her career Delle Donne will serve as a special adviser to Monumental Basketball, part of the company that owns the Mystics and Wizards "We'll miss her on the court," Monumental Sports & Entertainment chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis said in a statement shaping the next chapter for Monumental Basketball and all we're building and we're eager to see how she'll keep pushing the game The Associated Press contributed to this report By Sydney Wingfield Former Sky and Mystics star ready to move on After 10 seasons in the WNBA, the two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne has announced her retirement from basketball This comes a year after the seven-time WNBA All-Star took a step away from playing sitting out of the 2024 season after deciding not to sign a one-year supermax offer from the Mystics She shared the news on social media on Friday Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers Join today “One of my favorite children’s books asked, ‘How did it get so late so soon?'” Delle Donne wrote on Instagram “I have asked myself that over and over again in the process of coming to the decision to retire from playing basketball My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time.” Delle Donne was the second overall pick in 2013 by Chicago she made the All-Star team in each of her first three seasons she was traded to the Washington Mystics and immediately made an impact She helped the team get to the semifinals in her first season the University of Delaware alum helped lead her squad to the Finals for the first time in franchise history This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout In 2019, Delle Donne also led the Mystics to its first and only WNBA championship while playing with three herniated disks. The forward opted out of the 2020 season because of health concerns and played limited games because of her back issues in 2021. She continued to play 25 games in 2022 and 23 in 2023, per ESPN On and off the court, EDD is an inspiration. Thank you Elena 🫶 pic.twitter.com/NskedYB3He Delle Donne became the first player to earn MVP honors with two different franchises — in 2015 with Chicago and 2019 with the Mystics she was named to the WNBA’s 25 greatest and most influential players in league history in 2021 in celebration of the WNBA’s 25th anniversary winning gold during the 2016  Olympics in Brazil “Elena Delle Donne has been a transformative force for the Washington Mystics and women’s basketball,” Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis said in a statement leader and ambassador will leave a permanent mark on the game shaping the next chapter for Monumental Basketball and all we’re building and we’re eager to see how she’ll keep pushing the game Subscribe now to our sister publication The IX and receive our independent women’s sports newsletter six days a week Learn more about your favorite athletes and teams around the world competing in soccer hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers Readers of The Next now save 50% on their subscription to The IX Delle Donne was named to the 2013 All-Rookie First Team and 2013 All-WNBA Second Team and also received four All-WNBA First Team selections in four consecutive years (2015 1.9 assists and 1.4 blocks per game and is considered one of the best players at the foul line in the sport finishing her career with a free throw shooting percentage of 93.7% The Mystics shared on X that Delle Donne will be joining Monumental Basketball as a special advisor to the program A new chapter begins. Welcome to Monumental Basketball, EDD! pic.twitter.com/4rEDFxPLMp Delle Donne originally committed to UConn before deciding to play in her home state she became a two-time All-American and led her team to the Sweet 16 in 2013 “Words cannot adequately express how thankful I am to my family staff and most importantly the amazing fans that have accompanied me on this journey,” Delle Donne wrote on Instagram and I am grateful for the memories and how much it’s given me It feels good to close this chapter knowing I gave it my all and I can’t wait for what’s next!” Save 30% when you preorder “Becoming Caitlin Clark” Howard Megdal’s newest book will be released this June “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible Click the link below to preorder and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout You must be logged in to post a comment Contact Us About Us Privacy Policy We have upgraded our membership system.Please check your mailbox for a secure link to sign in and set up a new password If you have any question or need help, please email editors@thenexthoops.org The former Mystics superstar will not leave the organization that she led to a championship in 2019 On Friday, Monumental Sports and Entertainment officially announced that Elena Delle Donne has retired from the WNBA This news isn’t unexpected in and of itself the Washington Mystics and Wizards’ parent umbrella also announced that she will remain with them as a special advisor according to a press release Here is what Delle Donne said in a statement and soul searching I have finally come to the decision to walk away from playing basketball It was amazing to look back on all the special teammates staff and most importantly the incredible fans that have accompanied me on this journey Thankful does not begin to describe how I am now feeling This game has given me so much and I am excited to be able to continue to compete and partake in the pursuit of winning albeit in a different role with Monumental Basketball Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis said the following in the same release Elena Delle Donne has been a transformative force for the Washington Mystics and women’s basketball Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger said the following about Delle Donne and one of only two named Most Valuable Player for two different franchises Elena knows what individual greatness and team success look like We are so fortunate that Elena wants to spend part of her next chapter giving back to basketball contributing to the development and achievements of our program Congratulations to Elena on an extraordinary playing career thank you for serving as a role model to so many The press release, including statements by Delle Donne, Leonsis and Winger are definitely important. It also gives the Mystics the most clarity they have going forward since they parted ways with then-General Manager Mike Thibault and Head Coach Eric Thibault And though the Mystics are clearly looking to move on from the Mike Thibault Era it also makes sense that they would try to keep some of their best players in some kind of capacity after they retire Delle Donne now has made it clear that she intends to represent Washington in that capacity Let us know your thoughts in the comments below Apr 6, 2025 4:12 PM EDTElena Delle Donne has retired from the WNBA. On April 4, the two-time WNBA MVP shared the news on Instagram.  "One of my favorite children’s books asked 'How did it get so late so soon?' I have asked myself that over and over again in the process of coming to the decision to retire from playing basketball My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time," she captioned a post "Words cannot adequately express how thankful I am to my family staff and most importantly the amazing fans that have accompanied me on this journey This game has been my life and I am grateful for the memories and how much it’s given me It feels good to close this chapter knowing I gave it my all and I can’t wait for what’s next!" she added On April 5, Donne returned to Instagram to show everyone just how retirement has been treating her Donne laid on a pool float while wearing an orange bikini Donne's titles popped up on the video as she prepped her drink.  Donne couldn't help but laugh as the shot she attempted ended up spilling all over her face as the emoji of a goat popped up on the screen Susan graduated from Oconee County High School in 1978 and from Georgia College in Milledgeville and obtained a master's degree in education from Piedmont College in Demorest She was an avid reader and was a member of Lake Lanier Ladies Book Club The Spout Springs library was one of her favorite places to go and read a sister Judy Webb Smith of Panama City Beach niece Lauren Smith and nephews Jarrett Smith and Frank Smith Susan enjoyed having and caring for her cats An active member of the Gainesville First Presbyterian Church be made to the church at 800 South Enota Ave. A memorial service will be held at the church on December 29 The service will be officiated by Reverend Shon Peppers A time for visitation with the family will occur immediately after the service 2024 at 10AM at Evergreen Memorial Park.  Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text That’s the name of the LGW off-shoot handle for the expansion Golden State Valkyries I just haven’t had the time to announce it But today is the WNBA Expansion Draft in less than an hour from this writing and we will do a livestream to accompany the coverage on ESPN. Meanwhile, here’s a transcript of the relevant parts of Kevin Pelton’s excellent analysis on the ESPN Daily podcast with Clinton Yates… LetsGoWarriors.com is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. YATES: All right, Kevin, I got my notepad out. I am ready to learn and ready for you to lecture me and teach me how this stuff works. So who can the Valkyries pick and how do all the other teams in the league make sure they don't lose their star players? So are there any other nuances here that we should know about? I think those are the big ones. The other interesting thing about this is, if Golden State selects someone in the Expansion Draft and cuts them before the start of the season, their salary doesn't count against the Valkyries cap. So this is kind of an opportunity. I think we're going to see this more if we have an NBA expansion draft on the road, but potentially for a team to get off a salary that's maybe not as productive and clear some more cap space going into free agency in January. So you mentioned, so the core player, as I understand, as you explained, it's kind of like the franchise tag and you cannot join this team if you've been Core'd more than two times, right? So what players, fall under that category? Okay, so who are some of the available players from other teams that you think the Valkyries have their eye on, and who's the best of the bunch that they could possibly get right now? Can the Valkyries kind of go outside of the league and fill the roster a little bit? So most of the league stars are unavailable. What is the actual objective here for Golden State? Like, what can they expect to get out of the WNBA Draft? So let's weigh some of these options here. Like what is the value of a pick from a team like the Liberty or Aces, is going to be late in the Draft, versus an unprotected player who may be the seventh, eighth best player on the team coming off the bench? So what's the actual, like, a vibe check here on players, right? What does it mean for a player to go from a team like, say, maybe a Liberty or Aces and end up on an expansion team? Like, I remember growing up, BJ Armstrong was part of that Bulls dynasty and then gets moved to an expansion team in the mid- 90s. What does that do for a player when these drafts happen? So let us dream here a little bit. So is there a bigger name that we can sort of "fantasy place" here in Golden State? Could they convince like a Diana Taurasi or Elena Delle Donne to play one more year and come for them? Like, what is the sort of peak move that you could see them making? Alright, Kevin, I'm putting you on the spot, who is going to be the first member of the Golden State Valkyries? All right, I'm going to go ahead and predict it. I mentioned it earlier, Elena Delle Donne. I'm going to say that Washington maybe doesn't have enough room to protect her. She might retire if she just stays there. So they leave her out there and Golden State goes ahead and takes her and tries to convince her to play. That would be absolutely incredible. That's how you make a mark as an expansion team in the WNBA. That\u2019s the name of the LGW off-shoot handle for the expansion Golden State Valkyries I just haven\u2019t had the time to announce it But today is the WNBA Expansion Draft in less than an hour from this writing and we will do a livestream to accompany the coverage on ESPN here\u2019s a transcript of the relevant parts of Kevin Pelton\u2019s excellent analysis on the ESPN Daily podcast with Clinton Yates\u2026 LetsGoWarriors.com is a reader-supported publication consider becoming a free or paid subscriber I am ready to learn and ready for you to lecture me and teach me how this stuff works So who can the Valkyries pick and how do all the other teams in the league make sure they don't lose their star players the teams had to submit a list of their six protected players for the Expansion Draft players who are unrestricted free agents are eligible but Golden State can only select one of them And the only reason they would do that is to use the Core Designation which is very similar to the franchise tag in football You get guaranteed a super- max salary for one year But you're not an unrestricted free agent who can go out and negotiate with other teams So a lot of the stars do have to be protected although there are a few who aren't eligible for the Draft at all because they've already been Core'd the maximum number of times or played on the Core Designation the maximum number of years So you can sort of think of that as like when Kirk Cousins had played his two years on the franchise tag and then Washington couldn't franchise tag him again So there's a handful of players you don't have to worry about But teams also have to protect anyone they drafted beforehand and players who they have the rights to So are there any other nuances here that we should know about if Golden State selects someone in the Expansion Draft and cuts them before the start of the season their salary doesn't count against the Valkyries cap I think we're going to see this more if we have an NBA expansion draft on the road but potentially for a team to get off a salary that's maybe not as productive and clear some more cap space going into free agency in January it's kind of like the franchise tag and you cannot join this team if you've been Core'd more than two times And the important distinction here is it's also if you're going to be an unrestricted free agent this off- season So Jonquel Jones would be an example of someone who has been a Core player for multiple years but she's under contract with the Liberty for next year The really important players who are not going to be eligible for this DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones with the Connecticut Sun who are both headed for unrestricted free agency and then Brittney Griner with the Phoenix Mercury Golden State can go out and sign them as free agents when free agency starts in January but they can't pick them in the Expansion Draft so who are some of the available players from other teams that you think the Valkyries have their eye on and who's the best of the bunch that they could possibly get right now probably a lot of young players from the end of benches who haven't gotten a lot of opportunities And some of them could be players who have been stars at the college level if the Atlanta Dream choose not to protect her is someone that would make a lot of sense for the Valkyries The star player on Stanford's championship team several years ago the two teams that played in the WNBA Finals they naturally have some of the deepest rosters and want to make sure they protect those veterans And then there's going to be some younger players that might not be protected Minnesota probably has to choose between Diamond Miller but didn't play very much as they got to the Finals but was a key contributor for them in the playoffs didn't play this last season due to the Olympics beyond who are they're getting from the WNBA there's always a lot of talk about how there's good players that get cut from rosters that are looking for jobs in the WNBA Can the Valkyries kind of go outside of the league and fill the roster a little bit because even though they can cut those players without respect to the salary cap there is still a maximum number of players you can have on your roster in the off- season So they may not necessarily want to select and end up with 12 players on their roster brings the potential of making trades with other teams into play So most of the league stars are unavailable What is the actual objective here for Golden State what can they expect to get out of the WNBA Draft So I think that they should probably be looking to try to accumulate as many future draft picks as possible And that's something that I think the Vegas Golden Knights were able to do A number of teams traded them picks to ensure that some of their players weren't selected and they sort of learned from that experience when the Kraken then went through the NHL Expansion Draft a couple of years later But we mentioned Minnesota and New York with the quality players that they might have available Those teams could be willing to offer some draft picks to make sure the Valkyries choose the player that New York or Minnesota wants them to trade them to another team for a draft pick And then the third possibility is if a team wants to clear cap space let's say Indiana has designs on going out into free agency and adding around Caitlin Clark they could offer Golden State a pick to take Katie Lou Samuelson who kind of fell out of the starting lineup last season and get her salary off the books that they'd then have more cap space this winter Like what is the value of a pick from a team like the Liberty or Aces versus an unprotected player who may be the seventh eighth best player on the team coming off the bench I think that's an interesting question because number one I do think the WNBA Draft is going to become more important Part of the reason it's been tough for even late- first- round picks to make rosters is because as we talked about at the top there's been so few spots available around the league and so much talent And now that you add one new team this year it's going to be much easier for some of those rookies to make rosters and even contribute right away is even though their own pick is almost certainly going to always be at the end of the round for the 2025 upcoming Draft they were able to swap with the Phoenix Mercury from a trade several years ago So they've got the seventh pick in this year's draft What does it mean for a player to go from a team like maybe a Liberty or Aces and end up on an expansion team BJ Armstrong was part of that Bulls dynasty and then gets moved to an expansion team in the mid- 90s What does that do for a player when these drafts happen who was in the Expansion Draft when he was with the Showtime Lakers but then he goes to Minnesota and gets a chance to play I think maybe averaged 20 points per game the first season for the Timberwolves And I think a lot of players are going to look at it as that sort of opportunity but if it's say Alissa Pili from Minnesota it's gonna be hard for her to crack that Lynx rotation So is there a bigger name that we can sort of \\\"fantasy place\\\" here in Golden State Could they convince like a Diana Taurasi or Elena Delle Donne to play one more year and come for them what is the sort of peak move that you could see them making Taurasi is an interesting one because there's been a lot of speculation that maybe Phoenix won't include her on their protected list because she still hasn't announced whether she's going to come back and play in 2025 or not I still think you probably don't need to because if she does get picked by the Valkyries she's probably not going to play for an expansion team though there was a lot of reporting last offseason that she did want to play she ended up taking the season off because Washington wasn't able to find a trade for her The Mystics have a lot of players to potentially protect in this Expansion Draft Even as a team that was in the lottery last year I could see Delle Donne being out there in Golden State maybe being able to convince her to run it back and be their star next season who is going to be the first member of the Golden State Valkyries I'm going to say that Washington maybe doesn't have enough room to protect her So they leave her out there and Golden State goes ahead and takes her and tries to convince her to play That's how you make a mark as an expansion team in the WNBA Two-time WNBA MVP and seven-time All-Star Elena Delle Donne is officially retiring from pro basketball with the 2016 Olympic gold medalist calling the decision "one of the hardest parts of my career" in a Friday announcement After the Chicago Sky chose Delle Donne as the overall No. 2 pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, she quickly established herself as a force on the court, winning her first MVP title with the Sky in 2015 before a trade sent her to the Washington Mystics in 2017 Delle Donne thrived with Washington, earning her second MVP honor while leading the Mystics to their first-ever WNBA championship in 2019 — and recording the only 50-40-90 season (shooting over 50% from the field and over 90% from the foul line) in league history along the way "She put us over the top," former Mystics head coach Mike Thibault told reporters on Friday. "We were trying to build to where we could have a team that somebody like her would want to play with and we could win the championship that she was seeking and that we were seeking." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports) Taking last season off gave Delle Donne the space to come to terms with retirement with the 35-year-old stating "my body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it." with the Mystics announcing that the star will serve as a special advisor to the WNBA team's ownership group "This game has been my life, and I am grateful for the memories and how much it’s given me," Delle Donne said on social media "It feels good to close this chapter knowing I gave it my all and I can’t wait for what’s next!" Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone maintained her 400-meter crown this weekend, completing her second straight 400-meter events sweep at the Grand Slam Track series' Miami meet on Sunday One month after completing the sweep at the first Grand Slam meet in Kingston the 25-year-old US track star won Saturday's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.07 seconds before also taking Sunday's 400-meter flat event in 49.69 seconds — a race that earned McLaughlin-Levrone a $100,000 winner's check McLaughlin-Levrone has a veritable stranglehold on the 400-meter hurdles dominating that race since her last loss at the 2019 World Championships she blasted through six world records across 12 straight victories — lowering the women's 400-meter hurdles world standard from 52.16 seconds to a blistering 50.37-second pace With two more Grand Slam meets in Philadelphia and LA in the coming weeks McLaughlin-Levrone is considering a literal change of pace temporarily switching to run the 100-meter events — a distance she hasn't competed in since 2018 and other track stars will next compete in the third Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia from May 30th through June 1st before closing out the series in LA between June 27th and June 29th All 2025 Grand Slam Track meets stream live on Peacock English soccer club London City earned both a trophy and promotion from the UK's second-tier Women's Championship league this weekend lifting the Michele Kang-owned Lionesses into the top-flight Women's Super League (WSL) next season With a 2-2 draw against second-place Birmingham City in Sunday's 2024/25 season finale London City sealed the single point they needed to claim the second-flight league title and secure their ticket to the 2025/26 WSL campaign London City's rise is major success story for owner Michele Kang and her multi-team organization Kynisca — which also owns the NWSL's Washington Spirit and French club Lyon — as the Lionesses reach the UK's top-flight just two seasons after Kang's 2023 purchase of the club London City will take the WSL spot of last season's promoted team who were relegated from the top-tier league last month and currently hold a dismal 2-15-4 record Crystal Palace's struggles to compete after leveling up are nothing new with many promoted clubs often stumbling into relegation after a single season with the women's sports mogul planning to see the Lionesses rise up the WSL and "We have been building a team to be at a minimum, on day one, mid-tier WSL," Kang told the BBC "When I first came here a lot of people were concerned for me," Kang explained "How can an independent women's team survive if you don't have the male team that can provide the brand and resources The 2025 PWHL playoffs are officially set, with the Ottawa Charge and Minnesota Frost punching their postseason tickets in Saturday's final regular-season games to join the first-place Montréal Victoire and second-place Toronto Sceptres in the second-year league's playoff bracket Needing two wins in addition to two losses from either the Charge or the Boston Fleet for a chance to defend their 2024 title Minnesota found another gear in the season's final week The Frost first defeated Ottawa 3-0 last Wednesday before handing a crumbling Fleet side an 8-1 Saturday thrashing leapfrogging Boston to narrowly advance to the playoffs following an up-and-down regular season Minnesota's massive momentum grab directly affected this week's 2025 PWHL semifinals pairings As first-place finishers, the Victoire had the opportunity to choose their first-round opponent between the third- and fourth-place finishers — with Montréal opting out of facing the Frost to instead open the playoffs against the Charge. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports) "This group is hungry, and we're excited for the playoffs," said Victoire captain and the 2024/25 PWHL season's top goal scorer Marie-Philip Poulin "We're pretty excited to start the playoffs at home Also snagging home-ice advantage is second-place Toronto who must now overcome Minnesota in their best-of-five semifinal series to earn a spot in the 2025 Walter Cup championship series The puck drops on the 2025 PWHL Playoffs on Wednesday 4-seed Minnesota will meet on the ice at 7 PM ET Top-seeded Montréal's semifinal series against No 3-seed Ottawa will begin at 7 PM ET on Thursday All games will stream live on the PWHL YouTube channel The WNBA tipped off its preseason slate this weekend, as early contenders stole the spotlight behind massive wins signaling potential success in the 2025 regular-season "I haven't played in, like, 200 days, so I was a little nervous going in," Fever star and Iowa alum Caitlin Clark said after Sunday's game. "The competitive spirit in me — you just want to play really good for these fans." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports) LSU grad Angel Reese and former Tigers transfer Hailey Van Lith also shined on the collegiate court returning to Baton Rouge to help the Chicago Sky defeat Brazil 89-62 on Friday "I'm just happy to be back to see all the fans because I know how much was put into this program." Reese didn't skip a beat in her return from last year's season-ending wrist injury 10-rebound double-double in Friday's clash rookie Van Lith scored her first professional points in the game and three rebounds in her 13 minutes off the bench "It's super surreal in terms of the turnaround from where I was two weeks ago to where I am today but [I'm] just soaking it up and enjoying every moment," Bueckers told reporters after the game Golden State selected Sellers with the No. 17 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/CU5VOdTy6x While the results don't count, the weekend exhibition allowed coaches and viewers to evaluate fresh talent and new roster combinations ahead of the significant roster cuts that teams must make prior to the 2025 season tip-off on May 16th The season's first big-name roster cut came from Golden State on Saturday, when the Valkyries waived guard Shyanne Sellers after taking the standout Maryland alum No The preseason action continues this week with a trio of exhibitions on deck on Tuesday the Minnesota Lynx will visit the Chicago Sky at 7 PM ET before the LA Sparks square off against new California rival Golden State while the Phoenix Mercury takes on Las Vegas at 10 PM ET All games will stream live on WNBA League Pass McLaughlin-Levrone Runs Record 400-Meter Hurdles USWNT '99ers Story Scores Feature Film Development with Netflix Katie Ledecky Nears Own 1,500-Meter Freestyle Record at TYR Pro Swim Series UConn Basketball Lands Top Transfer Serah Williams 'The Late Sub' Tackles Gotham and the Failure of Superteams in the NWSL with Kelley O'Hara: Is NIL Killing College Rivalries you agree to the storing of cookies on your device Elena Delle Donne is officially retiring from professional basketball after not playing last year and dealing with injuries and illnesses throughout her entire career making seven All-Star appearances in 11 seasons and helping the Washington Mystics win a league championship in 2019 Delle Donne, 35, made the announcement on social media Friday and referenced a line from one of her favorite childhood books that reads “I have asked myself that over and over again in the process of coming to the decision to retire from playing basketball,” Delle Donne wrote on Instagram “Being able to say that out loud was one of the hardest parts of my career The Mystics soon after her announcement said that Delle Donne would be a special advisor to the Monumental Sports group that owns the Mystics and Wizards “Elena Delle Donne has been a transformative force for the Washington Mystics and women’s basketball,” Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis said The second overall pick in 2013 by Chicago Delle Donne spent a dozen years as one of the faces of the WNBA She played the last six seasons in Washington helping the Mystics win the franchise’s first championship in 2019 “She put us over the top,” former Mystics coach Mike Thibault told The Associated Press “We were trying to build to where we could have a team that somebody like her would want to play with and we could win the championship that she was seeking and that we were seeking.” Delle Donne was instrumental in the title run despite playing with three herniated discs in her back That season she had the only 50-40-90 season in league history when she shot 51.5% from the field “She had one of the purest shooting forms ever,” Thibault said “We had NBA guys with the Wizards who didn’t want to be in shooting drills with her.” Thibault recounted the many hours Delle Donne spent in the gym trying to maintain her body while dealing with an assortment of injuries and illness like Lyme disease she had a lot of days in the arena that started at 6 a.m and when other players were done she was still doing another treatment or massage or whatever it would take to be able to play,” Thibault said She opted out of the 2020 season that was played in Florida because of the coronavirus pandemic because of health concerns and then turned down a contract from the team in February 2024 to step away from basketball although she was never able to play a full season Delle Donne came onto the scene in high school as one of the most sought after recruits in the country She originally committed to UConn before deciding at the last minute to come home to Delaware to be closer to her sister She helped Delaware reach unprecedented heights in her time there and finished with more than 3,000 points in her career staff and most importantly the amazing fans that have accompanied me on this journey,” she wrote and I am grateful for the memories and how much it’s given me It feels good to close this chapter knowing I gave it my all WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area hundreds of miles from his home before ending up in Denmark some 500 miles (800 km) away across the North Sea Meet "Delle," as he was named by the Danish locals. A solitary bottlenose dolphin whose actual name from years ago by Scottish researchers is Yoda, #1022 identified by his unique dorsal fin markings He was part of the "Moray Firth" pod of Star Wars-named dolphins that included his mother Delle has given us a rare glimpse into the mysteries of dolphin communication Delle set up home base in Svendborgsund – a busy waterway outside Funen Island far from any usual bottlenose dolphin hangouts delighting onlookers with his aerial antics and confusing scientists with his vocalizations Dolphins are incredibly smart and social mammals that typically live in a pod Dolphin communication systems are regarded as being very complex and even share parallels with how humans communicate "Signature whistles" are unique to each dolphin in a way that names are unique to a person (I wonder how many dolphins share the name "James?") Dolphins will identify themselves with a signature whistle and even mimic another dolphin's signature whistle to interact with a specific member of the pod For starters, Delle has been vocalizing three unique signature whistles, which is weird. Researchers think that because Delle has been isolated without social interaction for so long, it's affecting his behavior He might be doing it to amuse himself or calling out the "names" of dolphins he once used to hang out with It could just be a coping mechanism to get him through the day The reasons are all speculative as this type of solo-act-dolphin phenomenon isn't commonly observed dolphins are believed to have a one-whistle-per-dolphin system but Delle threw that theory out the window with his triple-whistle repertoire He throws in something called biphonic sounds – that's when you make two noises simultaneously but it might be to add more layers of complexity in their communication to one another but it has been observed before so it's not entirely unique due to the lack of conspecifics anywhere nearby Delle might just be stretching out his two sets of phonic lips (the dolphin version of vocal cords) and just experimenting his vocal range bottlenose dolphins have been known to often communicate with others several miles away Among his most commonly made sounds were rhythmic low-frequency noises known as "gulps." Researchers have linked gulps to everything from feeding (no pun intended) to social excitability Delle has been doing it for seemingly no other reason than to hear himself Scientists have a few theories why Delle is talking up a storm: Delle might just be sad and lonely and the sounds could be expressions of emotion either intentionally or unintentionally when your pet pooch cries in happiness when you get home or sadness when you leave Or Delle might be "singing the song of his people" in hopes the find his fellow dolphins. Though, having spent the last three years in the same spot with no other cetaceans in sight you'd think he'd have realized he simply wasn't invited to the party Another assumption – as many of his sounds came in rhythmic bouts and often during his signature aerial flips – perhaps he was just in the mood for some wicked beats to get his dance on Delle's chatter raises as many questions as it answers Is he practicing his sounds like a dolphin musician Or is it simply a reflection of his natural urge for social interaction maybe Delle (or bottlenose dolphins in general) isn't so different from us At least Delle hasn't taken up wearing tuna fish hats like some other dolphins we know Source: Taylor and Francis Nearly 18 months after Elena Delle Donne last put a basketball through a hoop in a game The 35-year-old Delaware icon officially announced her retirement Friday morning on her Instagram account ‘How did it get so late so soon?’” she wrote Being able to say that out loud was one of the hardest parts of my career.” Delle Donne last suited up for the Washington Mystics in 2023 when she was a WBNA all-star for the seventh time in her 10 league seasons She averaged 16.7 points per game that year who had missed the 2020 NBA season and played just three games in 2021 after back surgery and other physical woes did not play last season as she contemplated her future ELENA ATOP THE LIST: Who are Delaware's 100 most accomplished athletes of all time? “My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it,” Delle Donne continued in her IG post “but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time This game has been my life and I am grateful for the memories and how much it’s given me It feels good to close this chapter knowing I gave it my all and I can’t wait for what’s next!” That will likely include her winemaking business; continued promotional opportunities; and advocating for those with disabilities, including sister Lizzie. Delle Donne first became nationally known as a basketball player while being a five-time first-team All-State selection at Wilmington’s Ursuline Academy She scored a state career record 2,818 points and was the consensus national high school player of the year as a senior in 2008 She planned to attend frequent NCAA champion Connecticut but returned home after a few days during the summer of 2008 initially citing the need of a mental break from the pressures of basketball She later realized detachment from family was at the root of her struggles She enrolled at the University of Delaware and played volleyball as a freshman for a Blue Hens team that reached the NCAA Tournament Delle Donne then returned to the basketball court putting Delaware on the NCAA basketball map and filling the Carpenter Center while being a first-team All-American her junior and senior seasons The practically indefensible Delle Donne sparked Delaware to two CAA titles and the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 in 2013 Her 3,039 career points were fifth in NCAA Division I history when she graduated In between, Delle Donne was on the United States Olympic team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro She closed her WNBA career averaging 19.7 points 1.9 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game and was a 93.7% free-throw shooter “Elena Delle Donne has been a transformative force for the Washington Mystics and women’s basketball,” said Ted Leonsis chairman and CEO of Mystics owners Monumental Sports & Entertainment 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. First State basketball legend Elena Delle Donne is retiring The two-time WNBA MVP made the announcement in an Instagram post Friday saying her body made the decision before her mind accepted it Delle Donne has had multiple back surgeries and didn’t play in the WNBA in 2024 Delle Donne played 11 seasons with the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics leading the Mystics to the 2019 WNBA title She was the first WNBA player to win MVP with two different teams a seven-time All-Star and a four-time All-WNBA first-team selection Delle Donne’s story isn’t just about her magnificent WNBA career she won four state championships while becoming the state’s all-time leading scorer She then led the University of Delaware to the Sweet 16 in 2013 including a win over North Carolina at UD in the second round of the NCAA tournament Delle Donne also was selected to the 2016 Olympic team helping team USA win the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro Elena Delle Donne, a seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time league MVP, has announced her retirement after playing 10 seasons in the WNBA Delle Donne took to social media to announce her decision to retire from basketball explaining that her body has ultimately made the choice for her She referenced one of her favorite children's books to express her surprise at how quickly her career had proceeded to this point "Being able to say that out loud was one of the hardest parts of my career but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time," Delle Donne said on social media Delle Donne will continue to be involved in basketball as a special advisor to Monumental Basketball, which owns the Washington Mystics and Washington Wizards More: Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi back for women's Final Four alternate broadcast: What to know Elena Delle Donne's WNBA careerDelle Donne was selected as the second overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky. She was named the 2013 Rookie of the Year and won the WNBA MVP award in 2016. After spending four years in Chicago, she was traded to the Mystics following the 2016 season. While with the Mystics, she won the WNBA championship in 2019 and earned her second MVP award in the same year. After a series of injuries, including missing the 2020 season in the Covid-19 bubble, she missed the 2024 season after opting out and deciding not to sign a one-year supermax offer from the Mystics. For her career, Delle Donne averaged 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. The Mystics’ long-time franchise player can do what she wishes for the next chapter in her long professional career The biggest question the Washington Mystics face in 2025, regardless of who their General Manager (or shotcaller) is, is whether to core long-time franchise player Elena Delle Donne. In 2024, then-GM Mike Thibault cored her and she ultimately decided to sit the season out when no other team was willing to trade for her at a supermax salary There haven’t been many changes so far for the Mystics but the few things we have seen indicate that they will deconstruct The decision to NOT core Delle Donne is not unexpected while she COULD play for the Mystics with a supermax salary she would likely be unhappy to play in Washington for a team that’s rebuilding if no teams wanted to trade for Delle Donne at a supermax salary in 2024 why would this change in 2025 when she hasn’t played professionally since she decided to take a break coring Delle Donne after knowing that no team wanted her at that supermax salary in 2024 would give a perception that the Mystics are trying to “hold her hostage.” The team is already about to rebuild It’s unclear as to whether Delle Donne will try to play for another team or will decide to retire But the Mystics have rightfully allowed her to make the decision that is best for her personal and professional goals Mississippi to Ruth Brewer Fancher and John Myrick Fancher Mississippi where she was the Salutatorian of her Coffeeville High School graduating class Lou then went to Mississippi Southern College where she was very active on campus during the pursuit of her Home Economics degree She was selected for Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities twice Lou taught high school for a brief time at Laurel High School before beginning work as a Home Demonstration Agent in George County Mississippi for the Agriculture Extension Service While in George County she met and married Rayburn Smith The family settled in Birmingham in 1958 where Lula Delle was an active member of Huffman Baptist Church since 1959 She and her husband raised their children in the church Lou was preceded in death by her husband Ray Smith Lou is survived by her four children: Warren Smith (Trish) and Alice Murdoch (Michael); her six grandchildren: Lexie Jesup (Jason Buckley) Steven and Andrew Murdoch; her six great-grandchildren: Emmett and Miles Buckley and Katherine Lou and Jon Norris; her sister Nell McGee (Colon); and a host of nieces and nephews and their families Visitation will take place at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home at 1591 Gadsden Highway in Trussville Funeral services will take place in the same location the following morning at 10 am In lieu of flowers please send money to Huffman Baptist Church or the charity of your choice where she was a two-time All-American and led the Blue Hens to the Sweet 16 Watch the 6abc Philadelphia 24/7 stream featuring Action News, AccuWeather and EntertainmentTwo-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne has retired from basketball, saying her body "seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it" in an Instagram post. Delle Donne won a WNBA title with the Washington Mystics in 2019 but was hampered by multiple back surgeries and did not play in the league in 2024 "One of my favorite children's books asked, 'How did it get so late so soon?'" Delle Donne wrote in her post "I have asked myself that over and over again in the process of coming to the decision to retire from playing basketball My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time." Delle Donne was drafted by the Chicago Sky in 2013 and pushed for a trade to the Mystics after the 2016 season But she didn't play in the 2020 season in the COVID-19 bubble in Bradenton where she was a two-time All-American and led the Blue Hens to the Sweet 16 in 2013 staff and most importantly the amazing fans that have accompanied me on this journey," Delle Donne wrote "This game has been my life and I am grateful for the memories and how much it's given me It feels good to close this chapter knowing I gave it my all and I can't wait for what's next!" Delle Donne averaged 19.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in 241 regular-season games She retires the league's career leader in free throw shooting at 93.7% She will serve as a special advisor to Monumental Basketball part of the company that owns the Mystics and Wizards But we're glad she'll still be with us shaping the next chapter for Monumental Basketball and all we're building," Monumental Sports & Entertainment chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis said in a statement "Elena's impact has been immeasurable and we're eager to see how she'll keep pushing the game Arts and ArchitectureClassical guitarist Massimo Delle Cese to perform April 9 at Penn StateInternationally acclaimed classical guitarist Massimo Delle Cese will perform a free concert and lead a masterclass at Penn State’s School of Music on April 9 — The Penn State School of Music will present internationally acclaimed classical guitarist Massimo Delle Cese in concert at 7:30 p.m Recognized as “an admirable artist” with “an exceptionally distinguished tone,” Delle Cese is regarded among the finest classical guitarists in the world His compelling performances and superb programming have earned him international acclaim Delle Cese will lead a masterclass from 10 a.m to noon on April 9 in the School of Music Recital Hall Both the concert and the masterclass are free and open to the public Delle Cese’s artistry has captivated audiences worldwide with critics praising his ability to engage listeners through his masterful technique and expressive musicality His performance at Penn State promises an evening of beautiful and impactful music offering a unique opportunity for the University and local communities to experience the artistry of a world-class musician These events are free and open to the public and made possible through the University Park Allocation Committee Former Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donne is retiring from basketball she announced on Instagram Thursday morning "My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time," Delle Donne wrote "Words cannot adequately express how thankful I am to my family staff and most importantly the amazing fans that have accompanied me on this journey." A post shared by Elena Delle Donne (@de11edonne) Delle Donne played collegiately for Delaware which she transformed into one of the nation's most formidable mid-majors as a three-time All-American The Sky drafted the Wilmington native with the No being named the league's Rookie of the Year in 2013 and MVP in 2015 The 2019 season saw Delle Donne put it all together and win the league's MVP award for the second time while leading Washington to what remains its only WNBA title She is that franchise's all-time leading scorer on a per-game basis The future Hall of Famer retires as the league's all-time leader in free-throw percentage She also won FIBA gold medals in the Olympics The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Delle Donne last played for the Washington Mystics in the 2023 WNBA season Elena Delle Donne announced that she is retiring from the WNBA on her Instagram account I have asked myself that over and over again in the process of coming to the decision to retire from playing basketball My body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it but I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time Words cannot adequately express how thankful I am to my family It feels good to close this chapter knowing I gave it my all and I can’t wait for what’s next Delle Donne played in the WNBA from 2013 to 2023 She first played for the Chicago sky from 2013 to 2016 and then the Washington Mystics from 2017 to 2023 winning a WNBA championship with Washington in 2019 she was a member of the 2016 USA basketball women’s national team that won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro Delle Donne was also a two time WNBA MVP winning it once with Chicago in 2015 and once with Washington in 2019 It is not surprising that Dela Dan decided to retire because she did not play in the 2024 WNBA season In addition she suffered significant back pain since she suffered an initial injury in the 2019 WNBA Finals Let us know your thoughts in the accounts below And thanks for representing the DMV during the Mystics’ best period in franchise history EDD Metrics details An Author Correction to this article was published on 19 November 2024 This article has been updated The biological aspects of infancy within late Upper Palaeolithic populations and the role of southern refugia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum are not yet fully understood high temporal resolution investigation of an Upper Palaeolithic infant from Grotta delle Mura (Apulia The skeletal remains of the infant – Le Mura 1 – were directly dated to 17,320-16,910 cal BP The results portray a biological history of the infant’s development several phenotypic traits and a potential congenital disease in the infant the mother’s low mobility during gestation the genomic data indicates an early spread of the Villabruna-like components along the Italian peninsula confirming a population turnover around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum and highlighting a general reduction in genetic variability from northern to southern Italy Le Mura 1 contributes to our better understanding of the early stages of life and the genetic puzzle in the Italian peninsula at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum This study presents an in-depth analysis of the skeletal remains by combining traditional anthropological studies spatially resolved elemental and isotopic analyses by LA-(MC-)ICPMS and palaeogenomics for an enhanced and high temporal resolution investigation into the chrono-technological attribution and ancestry of this Upper Palaeolithic infant with poor contextual information contributing – at the same time – to our better understanding of the genetic puzzle of the Italian peninsula and its role as glacial refugia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum a Photographic record (left) and virtual reconstruction (right) of the ULdi1 virtual representation of the sectioning plane b Photographic record (left) and virtual reconstruction (right) of the URM1 a Histological thin section of ULdi1 (buccal aspect on right lingual aspect on left; laser ablation tracks still visible along EDJ on lingual enamel and following prism orientation on buccal enamel and dentine); b Close-up view of the buccal lateral aspect (yellow arrows indicate ALs marking systemic stress events; the green arrow points to the NNL marking the moment of birth in the tooth’s enamel) Elemental profiles display a strong diagenetic overprint due to elevated U and Mn concentrations with the two teeth seemingly showing different post-depositional pathways likely due to their different stages of mineralization (i.e. The higher genetic affinity was observed between Le Mura 1 and the later Sicilian hunter-gatherers samples dated to the Pre-LGM are coloured in blue Late Glacial in magenta and Holocene hunter-gatherers in red Source data are provided as a Source Data file a Neighbour-joining tree of Italian Epigravettian and Mesolithic individuals based on pairwise 1-outgroup f3 genetic distance matrix; b Phylogenetic relationship graph of the main post-LGM Italian individuals modelled using qpGraph This is true except for Le Mura 1 (Le Mura 1 Mbuti f4 = 0.00172 Z = 2.216) which shows no additional genetic relationship with individuals related to GoyetQ2 In addition, possible traces of local genetic continuity between Gravettian individuals and early post-LGM Epigravettian populations were assessed using f4-statistics, though no significant genetic signal of Gravettian-related ancestry was found even when comparing pre- and post-LGM genomes from southern Italy (Supplementary Data 21) The direct AMS dating and its combination with traditional anthropological and genomic analyses of the infant of Grotta delle Mura opens a broader perspective on the human population in southern Italy at the end of the LGM aligning with the faster spectrum of modern variability Such findings advise caution regarding the use of modern standards for archaeological and paleoanthropological specimens which was refined on a histological/chronological basis at ~16.5 months from birth suggesting that the mother of the individual was likely local/low-mobile during the last months of her pregnancy as suggested by the reduced genetic diversity across the Italian peninsula might have contributed to the likelihood of it occurring genome-wide data from the Italian peninsula dated to the LGM (~24,000–19,000 cal BP) essential to explore in detail the genetic transformation observed between pre- and post-LGM groups and to investigate the role of southern European refugia during the LGM more genomic data from Epigravettian individuals of continental southern Italy are necessary to better investigate this issue more genome-wide data of post-LGM individuals from southern Europe are needed to confirm the significance of this relatively late admixture it hints at social dynamics within the group highlighting the mother’s low mobility during pregnancy and parental consanguinity the great genomic preservation contributed to our better understanding of the genetic puzzle in the Italian peninsula following the Last Glacial Maximum confirming a population turnover around the time of the cultural transition from the Gravettian to the Epigravettian technocomplex The infant from Grotta delle Mura represents an exceptional testimony to the early phases of life and peopling of southern Italy with several implications for the interpretation of social and population dynamics at the end of the LGM These findings reinforce the importance of this period in the peopling history of the Italian peninsula and the need for further biological data from early Epigravettian-associated individuals The analytical set-up included the sampling of two vertebral arches (cervical and lumbar) for AMS radiocarbon dating the upper left first deciduous incisor (ULdi1) and the upper right first permanent molar (URM1) for histomorphometric and histochemical analyses and the sampling of the left petrous bone for aDNA analysis Destructive sampling was conducted under the permissions granted to the involved institutions by the Soprintendenza Archeologia belle arti e paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Bari within the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (MiBACT) (protocol number 4997) the dental specimens were micro-CT scanned at the IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli (Bologna) by using a Skyscan 1072 (Bruker Corp.) The data acquisitions were performed at a voltage of 50 kV and a voxel resolution of 16.45 µm for the ULdi1 and of 12.50 µm for the URM1 The X-ray beam was filtered with by 1 mm aluminium with a 180° rotation and a rotation step of 0.9° The images were reconstructed with a Beam Hardening Correction of 25% and a Ring Artifact Correction of 1 using NRecon software (Bruker Corp.) the specimens were micro-CT scanned at the University of Ferrara by using a microfocus X-ray tube (Hamamatsu L9421-02) a rotation stage and a flat panel detector (Hamamatsu C14400DK-51) The data acquisitions were performed at a voltage of 80 kVp 80 μA and a focal spot size of nearly 5 μm The X-ray beam was filtered by 1 mm aluminium A set of 720 images over an angular scan of 360° was acquired of each specimen with an integration time of 100 ms The planar images were dark and flat corrected and reconstructed using a home-made software in a 3D volume with an isotropic voxel of 30 μm consisting of a composite embedding-cutting-mounting procedure and involved a thorough cleaning of all tool surfaces with absolute ethanol in-between each step of the cutting-mounting process Each specimen was first coated with Crystalbond 509TM (Aremco Products Inc.) and then embedded in EpoThinTM 2 epoxy resin (Buehler) The favourable cutting plane for both specimens was identified on a 3-dimensional (3D) virtual reconstruction which was generated from the micro-CT images The ULdi1 was sectioned along its central labio-lingual plane and the URM1 along the bucco-lingual plane of its paracone by using an IsoMetTM low speed saw mounted with a 0.3 mm thick IsoMetTM Diamond Wafering Blade (Buehler) One of the resulting blocklets from each tooth was then selected and gently grinded with P2500 abrasive paper and polished with 1 μm MetaDiTM Polycrystalline Diamond Suspension (Buehler) to eliminate any saw marks The dry blocklets were then attached to a microscope glass slide with EpoThinTM 2 epoxy resin (Buehler) and left overnight at room temperature for full polymerisation At which point a second sectioning was performed to obtain single longitudinal sections of ~300 μm of thickness Both sections were then grinded to a thickness of ~150 μm and polished with 1 μm MetaDiTM Polycrystalline Diamond Suspension (Buehler) rinsed with demineralised water and left to dry at room temperature the thin sections were furtherly grinded and polished to a more optimal thickness of ~100 μm for histological analysis Micrographic documentation of the thin sections at the different stages of processing was acquired at 100× magnification under transmitted polarised light with an Axioscope 7 microscope mounting a 208 colour camera (Zeiss) The micrographs were automatically taken and assembled in a single image using the mosaic setting of ZenCore 3 software (Zeiss) where all measurements were performed (e.g. lengths of Laser Ablation tracks) The time (in days) expressed by each prism length was estimated dividing its value by the local mean of inner enamel DSRs which in turn was calculated by measuring visible consecutive cross-striations and dividing each length by the corresponding number of cross striations The total crown formation time is equal to the sum of the selected prism segments The local EER was calculated by dividing the EDJ length between each two selected prism segments by the number of days represented by the corresponding prism segment The following is a detailed description of the work plan applied: The teeth were measured using microcomputed tomography scanners Single longitudinal thin sections of ~300 μm of thickness were obtained An additional computed tomographic scan was performed on the teeth following the sampling µCT image data (pre- and post-sectioning) were segmented semi-automatically using Avizo Lite 9.2.0 software (Thermo Fisher Scientific) to render the pre- and post-sectioning 3D digital models which were then imported in Geomagic Design X (3D Systems) for cleaning processes and for the correction of incidental defects (e.g. filling of small holes) to create fully closed surfaces The digital surfaces (of the specimens before and after sectioning) were overlaid using the overlay algorithms found in Geomagic Design X software To extract the missing portion of the tooth best-fit planes were generated on the surfaces of the sectioning cut present on the preserved fragment model (post-sectioning) The same planes were then used to divide the digital model of the whole tooth into three portions: the sectioned portion and the two preserved portions The result is a distinct three-dimensional model of the missing portion some channels were created through the model to allow expansion of the glue when the printed prototype would be applied to the original portions of the tooth; this was not possible for ULdi1 due to constraints linked to the model’s size Exact replicas of the sectioned portions were reproduced with rapid prototyping technology (LCD Stereolithography (SLA)) using a Photon MONO X 3D printer (Anycubic) The prototype was produced using Anycubic resin with a layer thickness of 0.05 mm UV Matrix 405 nm LED lighting sources and slicing Chitubox V1.9.1 software Finally, the printed replicas were applied between the preserved portions of the original specimens by using compatible and reversible glues (specifically UHU extra gel Polyvinylester) (Supplementary Figs. 14, 15) The same library was subsequently sequenced on an entire S2 flow cell of the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 with 2 × 50 + 8 + 8 cycles confirming the presence of authentic ancient DNA molecules Le Mura 1 was assigned to the U2’3’4’7’8’9 lineage The phylogeny was tested with the bootstrap method and 1000 replications A total of 22,965 Y-SNP markers covered by at least 2 reads (-r) with mapping quality above 30 (-q) were used for haplogroup classification the automated haplogroup predictions were subsequently manually verified checking the marker positions and their state (ancestral or derived) in the phylogenetic tree in the ISOGG database v.15.73 The pairwise dissimilarity (1-f3) matrix was applied in the Multi-Dimensional-Scaling (MDS) analysis computed using the cmdscale() function of R The corresponding standard errors were calculated with the default block jacknife Admixture graph was reconstructed using the qpGraph 7365 tool in ADMIXTOOLS 7.0.1 package with default parameters and also using “useallsnps” set to NO (Fig. 5b and Supplementary Data 17) The input file was produced by admixfrog-bam Admixfrog was then run with parameters “--run-penalty 0.4 --bin-size 10,000” When overlapping introgressed regions were called for the heterozygous and homozygous state Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54390-z Sea level and global ice volumes from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene Early Alpine occupation backdates westward human migration in Late Glacial Europe Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers Strontium and stable isotope evidence of human mobility strategies across the Last Glacial Maximum in southern Italy Wren, C. 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M. 100,000 years of gene flow between Neandertals and Denisovans in the Altai mountains. bioRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.13.990523 (2020) A global reference for human genetic variation The landscape of recombination in African Americans Montaner, D. SNPediaR: Query data from SNPedia. R package version 1.30.0, https://github.com/genometra/SNPediaR (2024) DNA-based eye colour prediction across Europe with the IrisPlex system Developmental validation of the HIrisPlex system: DNA-based eye and hair colour prediction for forensic and anthropological usage Download references is supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie IF action (Grant Agreement no FIERCE is financially supported by the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG: INST 161/921-1 FUGG INST 161/923-1 FUGG and INST 161/1073-1 FUGG) We would like to extend our gratitude to the Sovrintendenza di Bari for granting the necessary authorizations to conduct the analyses presented in this study we express our appreciation to the University of Siena for financing the extensive years of excavation at the site which provided the foundational data for our research These authors contributed equally: Owen Alexander Higgins Department of Odontostomatological and Maxillofacial Sciences Earth and Environment - RU of Prehistory and Anthropology Adriana Moroni & Annamaria Ronchitelli State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research Department of Translational Medicine and for Romagna Fine Arts and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Bari - Ministry of Culture Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE) Department of History and Cultural Heritage Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen focused on the study and restoration of the osteological material; A.Mod. performed or supervised laboratory work; C.C performed bioinformatics and population genetics analysis elaborated and interpreted the geochemical analyses; A.V restored the dental specimens sectioned for palaeohistological analysis; G.D.D conducted µCT scanning of the dental specimens; G.O performed the morphological analysis of the deciduous incisor and permanent molar crowns; F.Bo. provided valuable contextual background; O.A.H reviewed and revised the manuscript; The senior authors of this study are S.R. The authors declare no competing interests Nature Communications thanks the anonymous reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51150-x Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The fifth edition of the Coppa delle Alpi by 1000 Miglia returns to its origins: after the event was included in the Grand Alpine Journey project in 2024 to support the communities of the Alpine macro-region this year the race returns to its classic winter location inaugurating the Aci Sport Italian Major Events Championship 42 teams (from 10 countries) will set off from Corso Zanardelli some made particularly challenging by the slopes and hairpin bends of the Alpine passes the Coppa delle Alpi evokes the speed race of 1921 where for the first time a group of daring drivers covered “2300 very tough kilometres” free and gritty spirit typical of the most authentic soul of the Red Arrow the Bugatti T 37 A of Matteo Belotti and Ingrid Plebani 4 pre-war models will compete to the hundredth of a second with examples from the fifties sixties and seventies that have made the history of motorsport the event will have a prologue in Brescia with a 1 vs 1 direct knockout challenge valid for the Città di Brescia Trophy in Piazza Vittoria iconic place in the history of the Most Beautiful Race in the World the crews will cross Valcamonica and Valtellina After a short stop in Livigno in the afternoon the convoy will reach the day's finish line in St followed by the return to Italy from the Brenner Pass to the end-of-leg time control in Brixen The third and final leg will take the crews to the finish line at the Tonale Pass there will be time trials on the snow on the Pista Ghiaccio Val di Sole A photo is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/07c744cc-bb84-4eb3-863b-959827d2c9b3 Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker 2025 – At the heart of the enduring friendship between Lamberto Frescobaldi and Marco de Grazia lies a shared passion for wine and a dream they’ve nurtured for 35 years: to create something lasting together that dream becomes reality with Marchesi Frescobaldi taking a minority shareholder position in Tenuta delle Terre Nere Tenuta delle Terre Nere is a pioneering estate on Mount Etna Marco de Grazia and Lamberto Frescobaldi embark on a new chapter united in their commitment to carry forward the beautiful journey Marco began in 2002 countless bottles of wine – along with the joys and challenges of watching our children grow up together at the same school,” says Marco de Grazia The gears began to turn – at first hesitantly Our friendship then evolved into something more: a shared passion and a united drive to pursue greater ambitions and express it through refined and aspirational wines – together.” Marco de Grazia has always been a true point of reference,” says Lamberto Frescobaldi President of the Marchesi Frescobaldi Group I would listen intently to every word he said fascinated by his relentless pursuit of finesse in wine guided by enduring friendship and the ever-inspiring presence of the iconic Mt ABOUT MARCHESI FRESCOBALDIMarchesi Frescobaldi has embodied the very essence of Tuscany since 1300 The family’s extraordinary vocation for viticulture and the rich diversity of its growing areas lead naturally to its claim: Cultivating Toscana Diversity The uniqueness of the Frescobaldi family springs precisely from its being the very mirror of such diversity: its winemaking estates and their wines create a kaleidoscope of fragrances and sensations each of which eloquently expresses an individual terroir Behind every Frescobaldi wine one can capture the soul of the individuals and winemakers who live the vineyards and their terroirs to understand every detail Their art demands an iron-clad rule: respect which guides us even when we follow the path of innovation to be cultivated in equilibrium and harmony thanks to a one-of-a-kind combination of soils The nine Marchesi Frescobaldi wine estates are: Castello Pomino (Pomino) located in areas of Toscana famed for their production of world-class wines (DOC Joining them are the estates of the Bolgheri-based Ornellaia and Masseto as well as Tenuta Luce in Montalcino Poggio Verrano (Maremma) unique elements confer on each Frescobaldi wine its distinctive Each estate is managed as an individial entity with its own management of its vineyards and winemaking Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" © 2007 - 2025 | Wine Industry Network LLC. All Rights Reserved. 2 MVP Awards.css-3hcdeq{margin:0;font-size:1.2rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:Proxima Nova,Proxima Nova Fallback Helvetica,Proxima Nova Fallback Arial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;line-height:1.44rem;color:var(--br--palette-foreground__tertiary-mainChannel);}Adam WellsApr 4 1) 0ms;transition:background-color 150ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}.css-v4v4rs{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}@media (min-width:0px){.css-v4v4rs{display:block;}}@media (min-width:1100px){.css-v4v4rs{display:none;}}.css-mps3fk{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 The Delaware native wound up attending the University of Delaware in the fall of 2008 and joined the volleyball team as a walk-on player during her freshman year but she didn't join the basketball team until the 2009-10 season Delle Donne went on to become the best basketball player in Delaware history during her four years with the program. She is the Blue Hens' all-time leader in total points (3,039) three-point field goals (206) and blocks per game (2.4) 2 pick in the 2013 WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky She spent her first four seasons with the Sky winning MVP in 2015 and making the All-Star team three times Delle Donne was traded to the Washington Mystics prior to the 2017 season She won her second MVP award and led the Mystics to the WNBA title in 2019 defeating the Connecticut Sun in the Finals The 2019 campaign saw Delle Donne become the first player to have a 50-40-90 season in WNBA history (51.5/43.0/97.4) Delle Donne averaged 19.5 points on 47.5 percent shooting (39.2 percent from three) and 6.7 rebounds in 241 career WNBA games She also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2016 Olympics A network of correspondents providing impartial news reports and analysis in 33 languages from locations around the world Up-to-the-minute news and analysis from around the world and in Chicago Hosted by WBEZ's Mary Dixon and 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for a weekly show that straps audiences into an audio rollercoaster Radiolab is known for its deep-dive journalism and innovative sound design Created in 2002 by former host Jad Abumrad the program began as an exploration of scientific inquiry Over the years it has evolved to become a platform for long-form journalism and storytelling Radiolab is hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser Former Sky star Elena Delle Donne announced her retirement from the WNBA NEW YORK — Seven-time WNBA All-Star Elena Delle Donne a two-time MVP with the Sky in 2015 and the Mystics in 2019 and a key part of Washington’s 2019 championship made the announcement on social media Friday and referenced a line from one of her favorite childhood books that reads The second overall pick in 2013 by the Sky Delle Donne became Rookie of the Year and eventually spent a dozen years as one of the faces of the WNBA She played the last six seasons of her career in Washington (where she won MVP in 2019) — she opted out of 2020 because of health concerns — and turned down a contract in February 2024 to step away from basketball She averaged 19.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in 241 regular-season games Terms of UsePrivacy NoticeCookie PolicyTerms of Sale This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page SEARCHThe global authority in superyachting Mat does not carry an A-Frame on the aft deck per her owner's request the area is reserved for an "immense" social space equipped with sunbeds fold-down bulwarks and a jib crane concealed in the sundeck overhang subtle changes to its profile and a customised internal layout including a "dedicated space for welcoming guests aboard" The sale of Mat was announced in November 2021, having been commissioned by a Swiss owner with an "unbound passion for big game fishing". "We are very happy with Mat, the sixth successful collaboration between [CDM] and Nauta,” said Nauta Design founder Mario Pedol. "[Her] interiors are spacious and well balanced. All guest areas boast large windows to bring light and views into the interior and enhance the feeling of indoor-outdoor connection [...] The play of reflected light brings an element of constant movement to the interiors that enlivens and enriches the appeal of clean forms and natural tones." Accommodation is for up to 10 guests and nine crew within the yacht's 475GT volume, including a master suite with a private studio, walk-in wardrobe and wood-clad en suite. Power comes from twin Caterpillar C32 Acert engines delivering a range of over 5,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 10 knots. The yacht also features a low-resistance underbody with a bulbous bow that adds comfort in rough seas and efficiency during long passages. “With the Flexplorer line, [CDM] demonstrates its exceptional capability to transform a semi-custom explorer yacht into a fully custom masterpiece," said executive chairman and CDM co-founder Ennio Cecchini. "This range is giving us great satisfaction both commercially and, above all, because it is contributing to further enhancing our reputation in the yachting community while strengthening our position as the world leaders in explorer yacht building.” This follows the news that the third Flexplorer 146 – commissioned by a "young and enthusiastic" owner – had entered outfitting. Latest news, brokerage headlines and yacht exclusives, every weekday SubscribeSign up to our newslettersSign up to BOAT International email newsletters to get the latest superyacht news Boat International Media Ltd © 2008 - 2025 Content presented under the "BOAT Presents" logo is an advertising feature and Boat International Limited has been paid to include this content FAO will be waiting for you at the Chiostro del Museo Diocesano in Milan Join interactive games on the Sustainable Development Goals and explore our Conscious Kitchen where you can learn about the importance of food sustainability That's not all! Join creative workshops such as the creation of a mural on sustainable food together with the illustrator Lorenzo Terranera or a workshop on sustainable fashion inspired by the book Story of a T-shirt and created in collaboration with the activist Matteo Ward 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It was already clear that the competitive aspect was once again the beating heart of this fifth edition of the Coppa delle Alpi by Mille Miglia The drivers deserve credit for having offered an exciting race which in today's leg saw Alberto Aliverti and Francesco Polini ousting rivals Matteo Belotti and Ingrid Plebani second across the finish line in their 1927 Bugatti T 37 A Third place went to Francesco and Giuseppe Di Pietra The snow was a much-appreciated companion of this edition of the Coppa delle Alpi perhaps contributing to making the re-enactment of the speed race even more challenging and authentic In 1921 a group of daring drivers travelled 2300 kilometres through the dangers of the alpine territory pushing the drivers to show the bold spirit that represents the true essence of the Red Arrow after the restart following the lunch stop at Baselga di Piné the rain continued to fall heavily until the arrival at the Tonale Pass Snow that also fell heavily at the first leg arrival in St After approximately 880 kilometres crossing the borders of Italy the 40 teams in the race finally crossed the finishing line at 5:30 this afternoon at the entrance to the Pista Ghiaccio Val di Sole where they completed the thirteenth and final Time Control of the event The last sporting activity of the event was the race around the circuit in which the cars competed in a series of three Time Trials on fresh snow for the Ponte di Legno Trophy a 1 vs 1 direct knock-out challenge on Wednesday evening in Piazza Vittoria Cantiere delle Marche (CdM) has announced the delivery of its 45-metre custom explorer, Tremenda The yacht was commissioned by "an experienced owner" in 2021 who was said to work closely with the team during the design and development stage of the build Tremenda was designed by Giorgio M. Cassetta, with straight, squared-off exterior lines that connect an almost vertical bow to an inviting transom with a generous beach club. She was launched last November in a ceremony held at its facilities in Ancona, Italy, which marked her first sighting since construction began in March 2022. "Building this fully custom explorer yacht has been both a complex and rewarding endeavour," said Vasco Buonpensiere, yard CEO. "Tremenda encapsulates CdM's core values – vision, character, and true ocean-going capability." A key focus of the design is a connection with the outdoors. Oversized windows on both the main and upper decks offer a close connection with the exterior environment, while ample space has been dedicated to al fresco lounging and dining. Regarding the interior layout, Tremenda can accommodate eight guests across four large suites, all located on the lower deck. The owners have the entire forward section of the main deck to themselves, encompassing a full-beam apartment complete with his-and-hers bathrooms, a dressing room and an adjoining lounging area for relaxing in total privacy. "We are extremely satisfied with Tremenda," said the owner. "What impressed us most was CdM's ability to deliver the yacht through a fine-tuned teamwork, where every member played their part with skill and dedication, always striving for excellence." "It is the bold vision of an experienced client made into reality and, in our view, is a statement of essential and pure design, where form and function collaborate closely to offer the best experience to the future lucky users," added Cassetta. Twin MAN V12-1400 engines can power the explorer yacht to a top speed of 14.5 knots, while an extended cruising range of 4,000 nautical miles will ensure that Tremenda can explore the furthest reaches of the globe with her new owner. the daughter of Seymour “King” and Leona Salomon she earned a master’s degree in music from Sam Houston State and dedicated her life to teaching and performing sharing her talent and love of music with many owning both a florist and a catering company where her creativity and determination shined Known for her strong will and unwavering spirit Delle was a force of nature—she got things done her way Her passion for music lives on through those she taught and inspired Julie Winette Rawls of Dime Box; and step-son Preceding her in death are her parents; husband A visitation for Delle will be held Sunday A committal service will take place at 3 p.m Read The Sealy News At the Uffizi finally reopens to the public the Stanzino delle Matematiche a small room of very high symbolic and historical value completely restored and returned to its original meaning Located next to Buontalenti’s famous Tribuna this space had for years been reduced to a mere observation point toward the Tribuna itself to which access is now forbidden for conservation reasons The recovery sought by the museum’s management has restored dignity and legibility to one of the most emblematic places of the link between art science and dynastic collecting.The Stanzino takes its name from the frescoes with a scientific subject that decorate its ceiling true visual tributes to great scientists of antiquity such as Pythagoras celebrated at a time when Florence could boast of the arrival of a very precious Greek codex of his works included a thorough campaign of stratigraphic assays that guided the recovery operations with a new light coloring that restored brightness to the room while the work on the bronzes housed in the niches enhanced the depth and relief of their arrangements Curtains were removed and filters were installed on the windows to re-establish the visual relationship with natural light Artificial lighting was completely redesigned particularly to enhance the ceiling frescoes decorated with grotesques by Julius Paris between 1599 and 1600 The reopening is part of a broader museological vision that aims to tell the story of the Uffizi’s evolution through the centuries by relating the building’s different historical and cultural stratifications the Stanzino delle Matematiche is an emblematic example: born as a space dedicated to science at the height of the Renaissance it was then transformed into a small room of ancient and Renaissance statuary in the 18th century during the great rearrangement of the Tribuna between 1780 and 1782 Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici had in fact wanted to set up the Stanzino as a place to house the collection of scientific instruments started by his father Cosimo I wooden models of war machines and fortifications consistent with the Medici’s vision as patrons not only of the arts The relationship between the Medici family and science reached its peak in their support for Galileo Galilei who dedicated his famous Sidereus Nuncius to Cosimo II Galileo was also celebrated in the frescoes in the Ponente Corridor of the Uffizi as the “novello Archimedes,” and the figure of the scientist thus entered the Medici visual narrative was the symbolic and architectural node of this narrative connected directly to the Terrazza delle Carte Geografiche-also recently restored-which housed cartographic representations and offered a panorama of the then known world With the rearrangement of the 18th century its walls were adapted to accommodate small niches within which some of the most precious works of the Medici collection found their place These were ancient and Renaissance statuettes partly from the shelves of the Sala Ottagona but also 16th-century bronzes of great value a Dutch sculptor active in sixteenth-century Rome had made a series of small bronzes inspired by the most famous ancient statues then known These works were originally conceived to adorn a sumptuous medagliere donated in 1562 to Cosimo I by Gianfrancesco Orsini the niches of the Stanzino were gradually emptied and closed Only in the 1960s were they rediscovered and partially repopulated but never fully enhanced as they are today the Stanzino is returned to a complete fruition capable of telling its dual soul: on the one hand a place of celebration of Renaissance science on the other an eighteenth-century treasure chest for works of art that are minor only in size certainly not in historical or artistic value The restoration is part of Director Verde’s larger project to recover and reinterpret the Uffizi’s entire museum identity The stated goal is to transform the Gallery from a dynastic museum-as it originally was-to a modern picture gallery aware of its own complex evolution “Ever since access to the interior of the Tribune was foreclosed for conservation reasons,” comments director Simone Verde “for many years the room essentially been relegated to the function of overlooking the Tribuna and the general public no longer had the opportunity to appreciate its originality and value or to understand its important role within the Medici collecting universe the Stanzino bears exemplary witness to how the tree of all European museums grew from the Uffizi and to the close connection between this space frescoed with the instruments of science the nearby Terrazzo delle Carte Geografiche and the Sala delle Carte Geografiche in the Palazzo Vecchio In its transformation in the eighteenth century into a space for the display of antiquities it also testifies to the transition from a sixteenth-seventeenth-century model to a cornerstone of European antiquarianism.”