Delle Donne’s Opt-Out Request Is Denied
Elena Delle Donne, the W.N.B.A.’s reigning most dear participant, mentioned she had been denied a medical waiver for the league’s abbreviated season, which begins July 25.
Had she acquired the waiver, Delle Donne, who has struggled with Lyme illness for greater than a decade, would have been in a position to sit out whereas nonetheless being paid for the season. Now if she chooses to not play, she is not going to be paid.
Delle Donne, 30, made the revelation to ESPN. She mentioned she had not but decided on whether or not to play. She is the star participant for the defending champions, the Washington Mystics.
The resolution to disclaim her the waiver got here from a panel of docs, chosen collectively by the league and the gamers’ union. Delle Donne mentioned her private doctor had suggested her to not play due to an elevated danger of contracting and struggling issues from Covid-19, the illness brought on by the novel coronavirus.
“I love my team, and we had an unbelievable season last year, and I want to play,” she instructed ESPN. “But the question is whether or not the W.N.B.A. bubble is safe for me.”
The league has not commented on Delle Donne’s case, and it ordinarily doesn’t touch upon such issues due to medical privateness points.
The W.N.B.A. plans to hold its season in Bradenton, Fla. Like other professional leagues, it will test players for the coronavirus, keep them in a “bubble” to reduce the risk of transmission and not allow fans at games.
Despite such precautions, a number of players in various sports, including some stars, have decided not to play in their makeshift seasons. Among them are Megan Rapinoe of the National Women’s Soccer League, Ryan Zimmerman, Buster Posey and David Price of Major League Baseball and Wilson Chandler of the N.B.A.
The W.N.B.A.’s regular season, shortened to 22 games per team, will run until Sept. 12 with the playoffs to follow.
Delle Donne is perhaps the biggest star in the league. A 6-foot-5 forward who is notably mobile for her height, she spent four seasons in Chicago before being traded to Washington in 2017, culminating in her second M.V.P. Award and first league title last season.
She is unusual among W.N.B.A. stars in that she has not played very much for teams overseas, where the players generally earn the bulk of their income.
A Mystics teammate, Tina Charles, has also applied for a waiver to skip the season. She and Delle Donne were not with the team in Florida while they awaited the panel’s decisions. Teams that lose players to medical waivers may not be permitted to sign replacements, depending on their salary cap situation.
