Elena Delle Donne returned to the court for the first time since September 2023. Donne participated in the inaugural Shooting Stars contest for the All-Star Weekend, and before the contest, even said, “I haven’t shot in three years.” Yet, during the event, Donne didn’t look like she had missed a beat, as she led the Mystics trio to the win. Her performance prompted veteran reporter Holly Rowe to ask if the 2-time MVP might consider a possible return.

“It’s such a great performance from you, Elena. We think that people are going to try to sign you after this performance. Any chance of a comeback to the W?” Rowe asked during the post-event interview with the Washington Mystics Shooting Stars team, which also featured Shakira Austin and high schooler Jezelle Banks. However, Donne gave a vague answer.

“I got to work on my stamina. My second round was not nearly as good as the first, but you know, we’re champs so I’ll take it,” replied the 36-year-old former WNBA champion in a clip posted by Danielle Hobeika. When Rowe said, “But that wasn’t a no,” Donne kept it as open-ended as she could, saying, “That wasn’t a no, but it was not a yes.”

Although rare, WNBA players coming back from retirement aren’t unheard of. Tiffany Hayes’ December 2023 retirement barely lasted a few months when she returned in May 2024. While coming back after more than a year into retirement is even rarer, Chamique Holdsclaw did it in 2009 after she came back to join the Atlanta Dream despite retiring in 2007.

While Donne may have left room for interpretation with her vague response, there was good reason why Rowe asked her that question following the Shooting Stars contest. From the very first round, Donne impressed the audience as Team Mystics dominated the first round, scoring 39 points to take the lead.

Seattle came in as a distant second with 26, while both Dallas/Detroit and Minnesota bowed out of the contest after scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively. So the Mystics took on Lauren Jackson and Flau’jae Johnson in the second and final round, and it was competitive, with Shakira Austin helping pick up the slack with two 4-pointers from half-court.

Although Elena Delle Donne potentially unretiring was a big talking point after her team won the contest, the 2019 WNBA champion had praised Shakira Austin even before the contest started while joining the WNBA Countdown.

“She is so good and so talented, and the crazy thing is she can keep getting better. It’s been so fun. I had Shakira as a rookie with me and her growth as a player, as a person has been so fun to watch. I love her.”

However, even if Donne were to make a comeback, she would have to get back in shape, as the former champion admitted that she hasn’t regularly practiced since retiring in 2025.

Elena Delle Donne was unsure of herself ahead of the Shooting Stars contest

During her appearance on WNBA Countdown, the former Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics player revealed that she had to specifically prepare for the contest, as she hadn’t kept up with her 3-point shooting or free-throw shooting since officially retiring in April 2025.

“I got a couple of shots up [during warmups], but I’m like, it’s gonna be what it’s gonna be, like whatever. Just throw it out there and see what happens… I’m feeling great about my team, we will see what happens with me. When I retired, I retired. I have not been shooting that ball at all,” Donne joked, drawing laughter from the hosts’ panel.

While the 2-time WNBA champion didn’t do much shooting ahead of the contest, she worked on her technique.

“It wasn’t like getting a thousand shots off a day. It was very mechanical, like I should over the backboard to get my arm pattern right; I would do wall slides…”

The work Donne put in paid off on the floor, and she also spoke about another milestone she’ll reach next month. The 4-time All-WNBA star will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame with the class of August 2026.

So, whether Elena Delle Donne will try to make a comeback may not be clear, but the Shooting Stars contest certainly proved the W veteran has retained her skills despite not actually stepping on the court for the last three years.