Elena Delle Donne already had the eyes of the world on her, as she joins Team USA in Rio de Janeiro.
She’s 26, 6-foot-5-inches tall, and the Chicago Sky star basketball player was recently voted the Most Valuable Player in the Women’s National Basketball Association. But what’s more was revealed in Vogue Thursday, as Delle Donne came out as a lesbian, engaged to marry her longtime partner, Amanda Clifton. Clifton was herself a baller back in the day.
Even before coming out publicly, Delle Donne voiced her support for the LGBTQ community, especially in the wake of the Orlando massacre, which prompted her to donate blood.
The shooting in Orlando makes me sick to my stomach. Absolutely devastating. Praying for the victims and their families.
— Elena Delle Donne (@De11eDonne) June 12, 2016
The worst part about social media is it allows ignorant people to have a voice and others to conform with the ignorance. #PrayForOrlando
— Elena Delle Donne (@De11eDonne) June 12, 2016
To the magazine’s credit, Clifton’s fiancée is not the focus of the article, nor is her sexual orientation; it’s presented matter of factly, which is exactly how Delle Donne told reporters in Rio it should be handled, according to ESPN:
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
“It was just one of those articles where they came into my home, spent a couple days with me, and [fiancee] Amanda [Clifton] is a huge part of my life. So to leave her out wouldn’t have made any sense. It’s not a coming out article or anything. I’ve been with her for a very long time now, and people who are close to me know that, and that’s that.”
One look at Delle Donne’s social media reveals Clifton is not a hidden presence in her life.
“As the future keeps moving on, I don’t plan on having our relationship out in the public and all this media on it,” Delle Donne said, “but obviously there’s excitement right now because people see it for the first time.”
Her Sky teammates back in Chicago knew about her and Clifton, she said. “They know Amanda,” Delle Donne said. “She’s always around. It’s nothing crazy.”
If you were to ask, how fit is Delle Donne? All you need do is check out her nude photograph on the cover of ESPN the Magazine.
Go grab a copy of the @ESPN #BodyIssue and check out the gallery here: https://t.co/sDC02wZn1J 📸 Carlos Serrao pic.twitter.com/hfxHUg9WBW
— Elena Delle Donne (@De11eDonne) July 6, 2016
Delle Donne is now at least the third member of the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team to announce her same-sex marriage.
Check out more of the team 📸 pics here ➡️ https://t.co/kOTfzchyl0 🇺🇸🏀 #usabwnt #RoadToRio pic.twitter.com/fqUWLtFaeY
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 2, 2016