New York, NY, July 10, 2017—Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers announced today that it will publish a memoir and children’s book series by WNBA star and Olympic Gold Medalist Elena Delle Donne. Both will be released on March 6, 2018.
In her memoir My Shot, 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. She has always forged her own path, from her first year of college when she walked away from a scholarship and a chance to play for 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.
After overcoming burnout and almost leaving basketball for good, Delle Donne eventually found her way back to the court and went on to become the second overall selection during the 2013 WNBA draft, the 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year and the WNBA’s 2015 MVP. Fulfilling a lifelong dream of hers, Delle Donne won the gold medal with the USA women’s basketball team during the 2016 Olympics.
Elle of the Ball is the first book in the middle-grade series Hoops about a charming middle schooler and her basketball team. Two more books in the series will follow in 2018.
Delle Donne now plays for the Mystics in Washington, DC. Off the court, she is the global ambassador to the Special Olympics and became the first national ambassador for the Lyme Research Alliance. She also hosts the De11e Donne Academy basketball camp which runs throughout the year, where she mentors and coaches girls ages seven to eighteen. On and off the court she is motivated by two words: demand excellence.
“I’m thrilled to announce the publication of my memoir and children’s book series,” said Delle Donne. “I have worked incredibly hard to get where I am today, and I’m looking forward to people reading about and understanding the ups and downs that have come with my career thus far. I hope the children’s series serves as motivation and inspiration to young girls and boys across the country.”
“Elena Delle Donne is an inspiration both on and off the court,” said Justin Chanda, Vice President and Publisher of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. “With her memoir and the Hoops series, fans will get to know even more about this remarkable person, and new fans will surely be made.”
Associate editor Liz Kossnar acquired world rights from Jennifer Keene and Erin Kane at Octagon.
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