Basketball Star Elena Delle Donne Comes Out, Announces Engagement

Elena Delle Donne, the WNBA standout who will be playing on Team USA’s women’s basketball team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, has come out.

Elena Delle Donne Comes Out

Delle Donne was recently interviewed for a profile with Vogue. In the profile, it is casually mentioned that the Chicago Sky player is engaged to Amanda Clifton, who had played college basketball at Illinois State University.

“She and her fiancee, Amanda Clifton, keep apartments in both Chicago and Wilmington,” the Vogue article reads. It’s revealed later on the article that Clifton helps Delle Donne run a basketball academy in Delaware – and that she will be supporting her in Rio.

Clifton posted a shot of her hotel in Rio Wednesday, writing, “Finally made it! #rio2016”

Though Delle Donne hadn’t publicly come out until recently, she and Clifton have not been shy about sharing pictures with each other on social media. Clifton even posted a picture of the proposal that features a sign asking, “Marry me??” She captioned it, “I obviously said yes!”

With the Vogue article making the engagement hit the headlines, Delle Donne addressed her relationship in a recent interview from Rio, where she’s preparing for her first Olympic games.

“It was just one of those articles where they came into my home, spent a couple days with me, and Amanda is a huge part of my life,” Delle Donne told reporters. “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.”