The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. ET. At the highly touted ceremony, several notable members in the Class of 2026 are being enshrined.
Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Chamique Holdsclaw and the 1996 United States Olympic Team are among those being recognized. Ahead of the event, fans have an opportunity to take a deeper dive into Delle Donne’s personal life.
Pulling Back the Curtain on Elena Delle Donne’s Life Outside of Basketball
In November 2017, Delle Donne tied the knot with her partner Amanda Clifton in Long Island, N.Y., and became the first same-sex couple to be featured in The Knot’s Dream Wedding, per Colleen Kratofil of People.com.
Delle Donne came out to the public back in August 2016. Upon getting married, both women described their special day as being nothing short of a dream wedding.
Clifton and Delle Donne met through a mutual friend in 2013, and speculation swirled on social media prior to their official engagement announcement.
Years later, Delle Donne spoke with Karen Mizoguchi of People.com and stated, “I think the times when it hits me the hardest is when I’ll hear from a parent and they’ll say like, ‘By learning about you and Amanda’s story and how your parents handled it, it helped me to know how to handle what to do when my child was open about it.’ Those are the moments where I stop and get the full-body chills.”
The journey has not been entirely smooth-sailing for the couple, but they’ve continued to serve as role models for those who may find themselves in a similar situation.
Delle Donne’s enshrinement comes after playing a long WNBA career – 10 seasons. For four seasons, she played with the Chicago Sky, followed by the Washington Mystics for another six.
As proudly listed on her Hall of Fame profile, “The 2019 season proved to be a special one for Delle Donne as she became the first player to win MVP honors for multiple teams and the first WNBA player to enter the 50-40-90 club (51.5% FG, 43.0% 3P, 97.4% FT), all while leading the Mystics to their first WNBA championship.”
Delle Donne has had an illustrious career in professional basketball, and Clifton has been alongside her for the majority of it. Delle Donne was the second pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, which is the same year the couple met.
As Delle Donne is recognized at this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony, her wife will once again be by her side.
