My Shot: Balancing It All and Standing Tall

by Elena Delle Donne, Sarah Durand (Primary Contributor)

Elena Delle Donne, 2015 WNBA MVP and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, shares her inspirational story of being a young basketball prodigy who gave up an impressive basketball scholarship for family and self-discovery.

Elena Delle Donne has always forged her own path. During her first year of college, she walked away from a scholarship and chance to play for Geno Aurriema at UConn—the most prestigious women’s college basketball program—so she could stay in her home state of Delaware and be close to her older sister, Lizzie, who has several disabilities and can only communicate through hand-over-hand signing.

Burned out and questioning her passion for basketball, she attended the University of Delaware and took up volleyball for a year. Eventually she found her way back to her first love, playing basketball for the Blue Hens, ultimately leading them, a mid-major team, to the Sweet Sixteen. She went on to become the second overall selection during the 2013 WNBA draft and the WNBA’s 2015 MVP.

Elena Delle Donne delivers a powerful and motivational story of overcoming the challenges of competitive sports through balancing hard work and the support of a loving family.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Memoir, Basketball, Queer, Biography, LGBT

253 pages, Hardcover

First published March 13, 2018

About the author

An American professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA. Lead them to their first WNBA Championship in franchise history in 2019.

2015 & 2019 WNBA MVP and 2016 Olympic gold medalist.

Reviews

[Makayla D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a great read. This book was all about a girl Elena growing up as a star basketball player. It talks about all the different games she was in and the struggle in her life. She grew up in a good household with a disabled sister which makes it hard for her to be away at college. Then after her college life, it explains her going into the WNBA and what that looks like for her today. It was so good and was a challenging but easy storyline to follow. Such a great read and recommend it to anyone who likes basketball or biographies in general.

[J & J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jona's rating = 5
Joslyn's rating = I rate this book a 5 because it made me feel like a 5 star person! Elena has overcome so much in her life and I have a lot in common with her.

[Anna Walston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the theme of this book is to always live in the moment. Elena had many ups and downs throughout her career. She changed her thoughts about many different activities she played throughout her early years. Though she had many different thoughts, she always lived in the moment of all of them and always tried her hardest and never gave up. Elena always showed people to live in the moment because she knew that after it happened, it was gone. Her passion and determination were key to her success.

[Lauren Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy read... I learned the truth about her departure from UConn which is sometime I've thought about over the years after talking with her and her mom at the co-op...

[C.E. G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been obsessed with the WNBA this season and this was like candy to me. I loved hearing the background of one of the league's top players, and reading what it was like to play for the Chicago Sky with Sylvia Fowles. The book wasn't particularly well-written and the pep talk parts about being yourself and striving for excellence felt a little hokey. But I think the target audience of sincere middle and high school athletes would love this book. And if you love the WNBA, I also thought this was an entertaining read.

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't follow the WNBA so I didn't know who Elena Delle Donne was before I got this review copy, but I have to say that she is a very inspiring individual.
Many of the points she makes as she shares her struggles and triumphs are rather edifying and can be applied to any walk of life. She's an example to follow.
This is definitely a book I recommend for teen readers of any gender.

[Rita Nunes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das melhores biografias lidas! Well Done!!

[Kimberly Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't need to know who Elena Delle Donne is to appreciate this memoir. I think many students will relate to the trajectory of having talent &loving a sport and then getting caught up in travel teams, camps, etc. and finding yourself hating what you once loved. But there is more to Elena's personal journey than basketball (sister with cerebal palsy, battle w/ Lyme disease, sexual orientation). The memoir is relatable and communicates positive messages. An added benefit for young readers...super short chapters.

[Jeff Wait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool look inside the life of EDD. I think she could’ve waited until after she retires to write this. Feels incomplete. Still learned a lot. Just left me wanting more. Sequel?

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have a lot of girls in your school who play basketball then this is a must for the nonfiction library collection. Elena Delle Donne talks about being accepted to the #1 college for women's basketball, UConn, and then walking away from a full scholarship before school even started. After so many years of giving it her all, the pressure took over, and she actually began to hate the sport. She returned to her home state of Delaware where she could be closer to her family and disabled sister. She enrolled at the University of Delaware, a small school in the CAA conference, and played on the volleyball team her freshman year.

The following summer she contracted Lyme Disease after being bitten by a deer tick. She took a heavy dose of antibiotics and thought she had beaten it, but it would become chronic, and send her into debilitating relapses throughout her career. She returned to basketball at Delaware, leading them to multiple conference championships. She was the #2 draft pick, hired by the Chicago Sky. She currently plays for the Washington Mystics.

There's more to her story and lots of play action in the book. At times she goes overboard with her game details. I read through those parts rather quickly. I wish she had talked more about her sister with Cerebral Palsy. She describes this sister as being a big part of her life, but I didn't get why or how, since she is also blind and deaf. Still, a great story of a supportive family and overcoming obstacles.

[Heather Shembarger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography gave interesting insight into Elena Delle Donne's basketball success. Her road to success has not always been an easy one. I was surprised to learn that at many points in her life, she did not even enjoy basketball. Elena also has a special needs sister who she enjoyed spending time with. As basketball because more a part of her life, it pulled her away from her family as she had to leave home. This amongst other things caused her to struggle on and off with wanting to quit a sport that had put her in the spotlight and still continues to put her there today. She was also diagnosed with Lyme's disease which proved/proves to be a constant hardship in her life as it can flair up unexpectedly and side line her for many games. The only reason why I did not give it a higher rating is because she ends up talking about her sexuality in a few of the chapters. I wanted to recommend this to my 6th graders, and now feel I can not because she veers off into a topic that is not age appropriate for that group. It is published by Scholastic so I felt like she should have been a little more conscious about her audience. Other than that, it was an interesting account of how a young lady has ended up where she is today (and by the way, check out McDonald's latest pop cups-she is featured on those).

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autobiography of Elena Delle Donne, basketball player. She loved the sport from a very early age and worked really hard to get good at it. Her dad especially encouraged her and got a trainer for both her and her brother. She received a scholarship to a prestigious school but she had extreme anxiety and left within the first few weeks. She took a break and ended up at a much smaller school closer to home and led them to success. She still suffered from anxiety and drove herself really hard. She went on to become part of WNBA and participated in the Olympics and was part of the gold medal winning team. A strong female athlete role model who has faced adversity and come through it, not unscarred but stronger because of it. (Also lesbian - keeps it low-key, matter-of fact, not mushy; her relationship is important and she notes that but not the focus of the story.) While I appreciated the story and the hardships, the writing itself was not excellent.

[Angelica LeMinh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the book that I didn't know that I needed. I was hooked from the first chapters, where she talks about being burnt out and not knowing what to do because she was at odds with no longer loving to do the thing that she loved to do. I can strongly identify with that, as well as taking a step back to come back. She's got one up on me, because she made her way back, and I'm wondering if I'm just a bit older, and 20+ years is just a long time to be doing anyone.

I also love that she found love, at least in part, through her and her partner's dogs.

Finally, the fact that she slid into Kobe's dms about forming a mantra has inspired me to make my own and we'll see how it helps in my overall quest to be more vulnerable.

I know she has written a children's book about a girl who plays basketball and has a great dane, so I am looking forward to reading that too.

[Billy Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Authors Elena and Durand captured well the career of this exceptional basketball player Elena Delle Donne. Elena excelled in high school, the collegiate level, and also professional league of the WNBA.
Most interesting to me is the Women’s division of D-I college basketball. Highly competitive, expertly played with finesse and strategy yet terrific seats often available to us everyday fans. Elena had the opportunity to play for the wining-est team in all of college basketball (U-Conn Huskies) nonetheless chose to stay home and play for Delaware University’s Blue Hens.
Her many challenges faced during the 3 mentioned careers were well explained by Elena and you could almost visualize being there. A very easy read, almost at a high school comprehension level. Each short chapter you follow her steps striving towards what Elena called “Always Demand Excellence”.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read profiles of EDD there won't be much new in this memoir, but it's still an enjoyable read for basketball fans and/or those who like sports memoirs.
Della Donne's much-talked-about burnout that led her to walk away from a full ride at the country's best school for women's basketball (UConn) drives a lot of the narrative, not only in content but messaging. Her emphasis on learning balance is well suited to a teenage audience, as is the toggling between first-person narrative and injections of second-person advice/motivational talk. (Hence I have shelved it as YA even though it is not marketed as such.)

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the inspirational autobiography of the WNBA star. The book tells about the author’s life in basketball, with snippets of her personal life included. Tween & teen girls will especially appreciate the positive messages about being different & taking care of yourself. The only downside to the book is the lack of photos. Being a public figure, I would think they’d be readily available & it would have made the book more interesting.

[Kimberly B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my Teachers as Readers book club. There were some very inspirational moments in the story. I really didn’t like the writing as Elena Dells Donne came across in a lot of the book as very egotistical. I would say maybe it was just how it was written, but she coauthored the book. I think it is an interesting perspective of a female athlete that kids, particularly girls, will like.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elena makes some good points. She offers good advice about juggling priorities and handling failure.
After a while, the book dragged a little and felt a little repetitive.

[Tracee Cosme · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay.

[Natalia]

My name Natalia Leu-Pierre and the title of my book is My Shot by Elena Delle Donne. The genre of this book is a Young adult, Autobiography. Something that drew me into the book was When i notice on the cover my favorite WNBA basketball player. I picked this book because I already knew that it was going to be about basketball and i play basketball so in a way i can relate about this book. The author hooked me to this book by the introduction because The first senses of the book says “I hate basketball”. This got my attention because Elena is a really good basketball player till this day and i would never expect her saying that. After reading the whole intro it just made me turn the pages because so much was going on with her.

This book is about how Elea life is growing up as a basketball player.Elena Delle Donne has always forged her own path. During Elea first time going to college she walked away from a scholarship to Uconn. That college was one of the best colleges to go to for girls basketball.She wanted to stay in her own state Delaware and be close to her older sister Lizzie who has several disabilities.She had a big question about her playing basketball. She did not want to play anymore she felt too much pressure. So then she went to University of Delaware and wanted to play volleyball. After volleyball she went back to basketball and played for the Blue Hens. She was one of the best basketball players at that time and led her team to the sweet sixteen. She went on and became the second overall selection around 2013 for the WNBA draft. The main Character is Elena Delle Donne, who is a professional basketball player. She was trying to accomplish through the book how she can play basketball and be their for her sister Lizzy. The tension in this book is probably basketball because she was really struggling with it and basketball is taking her away from her family and she loves her family way too much to be away from them. How Elena grows from this is that she played basketball by her home and she got motivated to play harder and harder for her sister Lizzy. Her family pushed her and motivated her the most and now she is a WNBA star basketball player.

The most memorable part of this book to me is when she said “I hate basketball”.(1) It does not sound like a memorable part but it is because when she really wanted to give up on basketball she was stressed out from it and she was really struggling but then she overcame the struggle and she continued to play basketball she liked it more and more she played, She took her time and did not want to rush basketball, but now she loves it and she will never say she hates basketball.

The author wants to teach me and other readers to never give up on the things you love. The theme of this book is overcoming the challenges of competitive sports through balancing hard work and the support of a loving family. I know this because Elena went through really hard times and it was super challenging for her but she never gave up she kept going she overcame all her challenges throughout the book and she became one of the best WNBA basketball players of all time to this day. She worked super hard and took the time she needed to overcome all her challenges and she did.

I would rate this book out of 1-10 an 10 because I really enjoyed and any basketball players out there would really love this book a lot. I would recommend this book to a reader that loves sports books and loves reading books that can help you accomplish hard time you are going through.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an autobiography from Elena Delle Donne, a very successful women's basketball player. I wasn't aware of who she was until I read her books, and I'm not usually an avid reader of autobiographies. It's an interesting read and has many moments, which teens (especially those strongly involved with sports or other activities) can relate to.

The book starts with the early years, and the first chapter mostly concentrates on Elena Delle Donne's family, especially her sister, Lizzie. It offers a very personal look into her life and sets a great basis for the rest of the book. Although there are some differences which immediately separate Elena Delle Donne from the average Joe—having a personal basketball trainer already in the 2nd grade—it does gain enough of a personal touch to make her reachable.

While this mostly concentrates on her basketball life, which is natural, she has encountered many obstacles such as burn-out, Lyme disease, Mono, suicide and even a coming out. The writing flows naturally and has some humorous as well as serious moments, and while it's a bit long, the pacing holds nicely. There's a bit of a lack on the personal side outside of basketball, which especially becomes evident when moments like a friend's suicide occur, although this friend was never mentioned before.

All in all, it's nicely written. Especially teens who are strongly engaged in sports and other activities will relate to several moments, and maybe find some inspiration.

I'm stuck at a 3.5 on this one and rounding up. I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it enough to want to share my honest thoughts.

[Mat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've lived in Delaware my entire life. I attended the University of Delaware and have spent a lot of time hanging in Newark; however, other than hearing a few coworkers talk about the fact that she switched sports and left UCON I knew nothing about Elena Delle Donne before reading this book.

Elena Delle Donne wants to inspire and encourage the "little girls who line up after games to get her autographs" And frankly I think she has done a pretty good job. The first section of the book really emphasizes Elena's relationship with her special needs sister, Lizzie. It was very interesting reading about how her family embraced her despite her many ailments.

As the book moved along Elena recounted many of her major games and how she burned-out from pushing herself too hard. This part of her message is very well explain and I think is a great lesson for young girls - pushing yourself too hard can make you hate what you previously loved and listen to your self.

In the last section, Elena's desire to impart words of wisdom became a little heavy handed, with sections written in first person, talking directly to the reader about how to avoid the pitfalls of life. Additionally, in her attempt to drive her point home the began to repeat itself and drag a bit. As an adult reading the book, it was a bit much, but as I think of one of my daughters reading these sections would probably be just as inspiring as the rest of the book.

Overall, this is a very well done tween book about being yourself, trusting your body, and reaching for your dreams.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My shot by Elena Delle Donne is my favorite book. This book is an autobiography. The setting takes place many locations but mainly in Delaware.The book mostly talks about her basketball life and the struggles in her normal life, but it also talks a lot about her family.

I liked a lot about this book. My favorite part was when she got drafted 2nd to the WNBA. She was not just drafted because of her size but she worked hard. She has an amazing style and I think that she was also a good team player. I loved the way she described being picked 2nd in the draft felt. The way she described the feelings she had throughout the entire book could easily make sense to anybody throughout the book.

Elena Delle Donne is a very caring person, especially for her sister. In the book Elena describes how she was very sad at UConn and missed her sister Lizzie a lot. Lizzie was born blind and deaf , had cerebral palsy, and autism. When she decided to go back to delaware I thought she had made a good choice. Elena also states that when she was not running around she was with Lizzie. I can tell they have a very strong relationship by the way she describes it.

Elena Delle Donne’s My Shot is a descriptive, in depth, full of surprise book.. I would recommend it to people who like sports or autobiography. Also if you have read any of the Hoops books I would recommend this to you. This book would definitely inspire you. You can do great things if you “Demand Excellence”(motto of Elena Delle Donne).

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you fail try, try again but don’t try too hard that you hurt yourself so bad that you can’t do what you love. This is a book about Elena Delle Donne’s life/basketball story up to about the year 2019 and what she went through. In the book My Shot by Elena Delle Donne, she has a burnout from working herself too hard, being to stressed by thinking she was the only hope on her team, and she was a little harsh on herself.

I really liked the book because I kept wanting to read it. The book had really good content. When I think everything is fine in the story, something not bad but not good happens. It tells me a story of what has happened in Elena’s life.

Elena Delle Donne’s height(6’5") never stopped her from achieving her goal from when she was just a little girl. When she was four years old when she started to dribble her first basketball, and then never wanted to stop dribbling it for the next week! Elena Delle Donne isn't all basketball. She also played volleyball for a season. On the court, she was the middle hitter on her team. She played for the University of Delaware(UD).

This book is good for readers who like sports. I don’t suggest it to 2nd and 3rd graders, I would suggest it to 4th graders and up.

[Matt Lowy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read that takes you through a journey of a talented individual that didn't ask for her blessings (athletic talent, height) but did bust her ass to embrace it and maximize her opportunity. Through embracing her talents on the hardwood, she covers the times that she lost her passion and questioned her life goals. We all question ourselves at different times and Ms. Delle Donne's story comes off as authentic and understandable.

The journey of how she embraced leadership both verbal and by example is insightful and provides a few surprises of how she shaped her motto. Throw in the unique relationship and bond she has with her sister, finding love and embracing her sexuality and never throwing in the towel combine for the dynamic that you don't want to stop reading until you get to the back cover.

[Jashvina Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This book was really interesting and I loved learning about how she dealt with her struggles of loving baskeballt, not loving it, leaving and being able to return. That's especially important in sports where it's really uncommon for players to leave and take care of themselves. I'm not a big basketball person so I don't really follow the WNBA and wasn't familiar with her story. I assumed she was still playing, but I didn't know what college she went to, etc., so that kept an element of surprise. The second half of the book was less exciting, just because I usually skimm over things that are specific to sports scores & games, etc. Really reccomend.

[Bernadette Kearns · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting middle grade memoir/autobiography of basketball star, Elena Delle Donne. The book traces her life from childhood when she began playing basketball, through high school and college and into her current life playing in the WNBA. The book reveals a lot about her emotional challenges with being burned out and losing the love of playing a sport at which she excelled, as well as the many health challenges she faces from having Lyme disease. Athletes who play basketball would particularly appreciate the life lessons about the sport Elena has to offer, but readers who like biographies would enjoy it just as much.

[Ellison · Rating 3 out of 5]

about a gal who picks up basketball at the age of four and for the next fifteen years is a baller. upon receiving a college scholarship she suddenly realizes that she wants to be home with her handicapped sister, so, she skips out, without a word.

takes a gap year and eventually gets back into the game. physical ailment stymies her. then hurt. drafted into the wnba behind brittney griner. olympics. grl luv. occasionally exhausting with self examination. is able to get herself traded, to be with a new team, closer to home. no pix, no index, a quick read.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. It petered out a bit towards the end for me with the same kind of message repeated but in a different scenario...doubt, courage, and determination. I would recommend it to middle school kids who like basketball, want a book about grit and determination, or are curious about athletes who have come out. I liked Elena’s overall message and enjoyed learning about her as a person. She has a neat family and some good life experiences to share with young readers.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely surprise. I really enjoyed learning about Dellle Donne's life, basketball journey, and the obstacles she overcame on her way to career and personal fulfillment. I would recommend this book to any young reader who is interested in learning about someone who reached incredible succcess despite handling various challenges along the way.