Elena Delle Donne was a teenage basketball phenom, receiving her first college scholarship offer in the seventh grade.

“I was still such a kid and didn’t really know how to handle that moment,” she tells Kelley O’Hara on the latest episode of the Just Women’s Sports podcast.

After that first offer, Delle Donne says the letters started flowing in, with her mom even buying an extra basket to keep up with the influx of mail. There were early signs, however, that the future WNBA star wasn’t enjoying the process.

“I didn’t open one letter,” Delle Donne says. “I didn’t read any of the newspaper articles.”

A significant influence on Delle Donne then and now is her older sister Lizzie, who was born deaf and blind and with cerebral palsy and autism. The two communicate through touch.

“The way that we communicate is through hand-over-hand sign language,” she says. “It’s not your typical sign language. It’s signs that she’s made up with my family.

“She has been everything to me, especially in my toughest times. I’ve always looked to her for perspective.”

The need to be close to Lizzie was a major factor in Delle Donne’s future career choices.

Delle Donne committed to UConn upon graduating high school, but as she drove to the campus to report for summer school, she knew something wasn’t right.

After 48 hours at the school, Delle Donne fled.

“Two days went by, and I packed up some of my stuff, called a friend and literally ran away from the University of Connecticut in the middle of the night,” she says.

When Delle Donne returned home for the summer, it became clear that her spontaneous move would stick. The Mystics forward says iconic UConn head coach Geno Auriemma handled the news graciously.

“I think we will always have a special bond because of the way that he handled that for me,” she says.

Delle Donne played volleyball for an entire season at the University of Delaware before joining the basketball team. A three-time All-American, she went on to set nearly every program record and win the 2013 Honda National Player of the Year.

You can listen to Elena Delle Donne’s full conversation with Kelley O’Hara here.

WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark has re-upped her partnership with Wilson Sporting Goods, with the sidelined Fever guard set to release her second-year line of signature basketballs on June 23rd.

"I love working with Wilson to create these signature basketballs, and I hope this collection helps to inspire young girls and boys to get out and play," said the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year in Monday's announcement.

"Caitlin Clark is not just a record-setting athlete, she is a cultural influence who has galvanized athletes and fans across the full spectrum of ages, genders and backgrounds in supporting women's sports," noted Wilson director of global marketing David Picioski. "We are proud to partner with Caitlin to continue furthering our mission of inspiring the next generation of athletes."

As part of her multi-year endorsement deal with the sporting giant, Clark dropped her first line of exclusive Wilson basketballs last year, joining NBA legend Michael Jordan as just the second athlete to develop a signature collection with the brand.

This season's collection features an indoor-only ball, an outdoor-only ball, and two multi-surface balls, all incorporating colors, quotes, and other details designed by Clark.

"I'm really excited about the designs because they share even more about me as a person and player," said Clark about the four-ball range.

Where to buy the Caitlin Clark Wilson basketballs collection

Clark's latest line of basketballs will be available at select retailers and online beginning on June 23rd.

Before the drop, interested fans can sign up for notifications at Wilson.com.

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) threw its very first pitch this weekend, as the four-team pro league ushers in a new era of US softball.

Saturday saw the inaugural season kick off in two sold-out stadiums, as the Bandits recorded the league's first-ever win by defeating the Talons 3-1 in Rosemont, Illinois, before the Volts capped opening day with a 5-1 extra-inning victory over the Blaze in Wichita, Kansas.

"To be able to run for those who walked for us is just incredible, and I'm really excited to be a part of it," said Volts outfielder McKenzie Clark following their historic opening win, acknowledging the sport's trailblazers who fought for and built AUSL from the ground up.

The Volts currently sit atop the AUSL standings with a 2-1 record, followed by a second-place tie between the Talons and Bandits at 1-1. The Blaze narrowly trail with a 1-2 tally.

The traveling seven-week inaugural season will see each team contest 24 games across 10 cities to determine the top two squads who will compete in a best-of-three championship series in late July.

With rosters full of former collegiate standouts, NCAA softball fans will have plenty of favorites to root for, as rookies like Talons infielder and 2025 Collegiate Player of the Year Bri Ellis (Arkansas), Volts catcher Michaela Edenfield (Florida State), Blaze pitcher Emma Lemley (Virginia Tech), and Volts pitcher Sam Landry (Oklahoma) make their professional debuts.

"I was like, 'I was born ready. Give me the ball,'" Landry — the No. 1 overall pick in the first-ever AUSL College Draft — told her coaches prior to starting in the circle in Monday's 3-1 Volts loss to the Blaze.

How to watch the AUSL this season

AUSL is back in action on Tuesday night, with the Talons and Bandits closing out their three-game opening series at 8 PM ET. Live coverage of the game will air on ESPN2.

Teams will then hit the road for their next locales, with the Volts kicking off a series against the Bandits in Sulphur, Louisiana, at 7 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on ESPN2.

Meanwhile, the Talons and Blaze will be en route to Chattanooga, Tennessee, with their series first matchup taking the field at 6:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on MLB.com.

The Golden State Valkyries are flying high, following up last weekend's blowout win over the Las Vegas Aces with an 89-81 overtime victory against the LA Sparks on Monday, pushing the 2025 expansion side to an early season record of 4-5.

Five Valkyries scored in the double digits on Monday night, with forward Janelle Salaün's team-leading 21 points contributing to the team's 11-3 overtime advantage.

The first-ever WNBA team to average more than 18,000 fans through their first three home games, Golden State has already made an outsized mark on league culture — but the Valks' on-court product is also trending ahead of schedule.

"We could tell in both the third and fourth quarter, they had each others back," head coach Natalie Nakase said after the win. "That's what we’re trying to do. We got to continue to rely on each other and hold each other accountable, so that was really cool to see."

Monday's results boosted Golden State to eighth place in the WNBA standings, while a skidding 10th-place Los Angeles side struggles to find their form.

Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, who led LA with 24 points on Monday night, expressed her frustration with the game's officials, saying "I'm going to get fined for saying this… they're fouling the s—t out of me every single play."

How to watch upcoming WNBA games

While Golden State doesn't return to the court until Saturday, the Valkyries' last two victims — the Las Vegas Aces and Los Angeles Sparks — will square off at 10 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on CBS Sports.

Incoming PWHL teams Seattle and Vancouver are one step closer to their 2025/26 season debuts, as Monday's first-ever expansion draft capped a busy trade window to bring each new franchise's roster to 12 players.

Seasoned veterans and young prospects alike found themselves on the move last week, with notable names like former Boston Fleet captain Hilary Knight and New York Sirens vet Alex Carpenter bound for Seattle while Toronto Sceptres standout Sarah Nurse will head to Vancouver.

Each of the six founding PWHL teams could only protect three players ahead of the league's aggressive expansion process, with most front offices opting to prioritize speed and parity.

Team Canada's 2022 Olympic gold medalist Ashton Bell of the 2025 Walter Cup runners-up Ottawa Charge went first in Monday's PWHL expansion draft, with brought each original team's roster losses up to four total players.

Five of last year's six first-round entry draft picks are now en route to either Seattle or Vancouver, with only No. 1 overall selectee Sarah Fillier remaining with her original New York team.

"Selfishly, I'm very excited," Seattle GM Meghan Turner said after Monday's final selection. "I think it's a great roster that we've built so far."

Both Seattle and Vancouver will see their rosters nearly double to the league's 23-athlete tally later this month, when the expansion teams will join the founding six teams in snagging talent from the PWHL's June 24th entry draft.

The PWHL's expansion process incentivizes new teams to hit the ice ready to compete, though its impact on the league's existing clubs will likely not be clear until the puck drops on the 2025/26 season.