{
  "id": 918766,
  "title": "Elena Delle Donne quit basketball before her freshman year in college. She ended up a Hall of Famer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/elena-delle-donne-quit-basketball-before-her-freshman-year-in-college",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-14T22:53:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/elena-delle-donne-basketball-hall-of-fame-de5c13d75c41f09e07a998c301f56222"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Elena Delle Donne, a basketball player turned Hall of Famer, once vowed never to touch the sport again. After a grueling freshman year at college, the player felt burnt out and missed the comfort of her family. It was during this period of introspection that Delle Donne realized she could pursue passions outside of basketball. She took a break to rediscover her identity beyond the court. After returning to basketball, she found renewed passion, leading her to become a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Delle Donne's journey highlights the importance of family, as she chose to return to her home state after her initial college enrollment to reconnect with her sister Lizzie, who is blind and deaf. Through physical touch, the siblings communicate their feelings, and Delle Donne noted that leaving Lizzie to attend college was a challenging experience. She also humorously shared that her sister is unaware of her basketball prowess, which she believes keeps life in perspective.",
  "summary": "UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Elena Delle Donne swore she would never pick up a basketball again after quitting the sport before her freshman year of college.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}