Basketball player Elena Delle Donne has claimed that the WNBA’s panel of physicians has denied her request to opt out of the 2020 season for medical reasons.
On Monday, she told ESPN that the WNBA’s decision is at odds with her personal physician’s advice.
Delle Donne, who has battled Lyme disease since 2008, said, “The independent panel of doctors the league appointed to review high-risk cases have advised that I’m not high risk, and should be permitted to play in the bubble.”
The 30-year-old athlete said, “I love my team, and we had an unbelievable season last year, and I want to play! But the question is whether or not the WNBA bubble is safe for me.”
“My personal physician who has treated me for Lyme disease for years advised me that I’m at high risk for contracting and having complications from COVID-19,” she added. “I’m thinking things over, talking to my doctor and my wife, and look forward to sharing what I ultimately plan to do very soon.”
A spokesperson for the WNBA has declined to comment on a player’s personal medical matter.
Erin Kane, Delle Donne’s agent, told ESPN that the WNBA star’s “initial reaction was disbelief” after the panel denied her medical request.
Kane said, “I know doctors don’t always agree with each other and that there are different opinions on certain things within the medical community, and now I have a player who is in an incredibly difficult situation because of the way things lined up.”
The WNBA’s panel of doctors considers the CDC’s guidelines when evaluating high-risk cases of COVID-19, according to ESPN.
Lyme disease is not an underlying medical condition that could put someone at an increased risk for developing severe COVID-19 illness, according to the CDC. Kane said that it is “still possible” that Delle Donne opts out of the 2020 season, stating, “Like a lot of people, she’s making a choice between what’s best for her from a health standpoint and what’s best for her from a financial standpoint for her and her family.”
