Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne appeared to reinjure her left ankle in the Washington Mystics' Sunday afternoon matchup against the Connecticut Sun and did not return in the eventual 92-84 loss.
Delle Donne had missed Washington's previous two games after spraining her ankle in the final minute of the Mystics' June 30 loss to the Atlanta Dream. And then on Sunday, her first game back from that injury, she stepped on DeWanna Bonner's foot and turned the same ankle late in the second quarter, prompting her to exit for the locker room. She was ruled out for the remainder of the game shortly thereafter.
Mystics head coach Eric Thibault said postgame the team will evaluate the severity of the injury upon returning to D.C. and that Delle Donne was "frustrated more than anything."
Washington has experienced a host of injuries this season, with Natasha Cloud (ankle sprain), Shakira Austin (hip sprain) and Kristi Toliver (plantar fasciitis) also sidelined Sunday, and the latter two out for extended periods of time. Nonetheless, the Mystics feel that "we have everybody that we need in the locker room" to compete, Myisha Hines-Allen said.
"It doesn't matter who's playing. We're always going to step up, we're never going to give up, we're going to fight to the end," Hines-Allen, who finished with 14 points on Sunday, said. "Of course we do not want to see Elena go down. We need her on the court with us. But at the end of the day, something happens, there are some things that we can't control so we have to be able to adapt and play hard for her and for Tash, for KT, for Shakira. We just have to keeping finding a way to figure this out and get a win."
Once more playing at a high level after back issues derailed multiple WNBA seasons, Delle Donne is averaging 18.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the fourth-place Mystics (10-8). She was named an All-Star reserve last week and was drafted onto Team Wilson Saturday, but her recent ankle injuries put her status for this weekend's All-Star Game in Las Vegas into doubt.