Elena Delle Donne

“You don't have to follow what most players do by going to the top school. You can do anything at any school you're at, as long as you're focused and you work hard.”

“When I was young, I was obsessed with Michael Jordan and the Bulls. He's the only person I get starstruck over. I don't know what I'd do if I met him - I'd be in shock! That's my dream.”

“That's the thing: You don't understand burnout unless you've been burned out. And it's something you can't even explain. It's just doing something you have absolutely no passion for.”

“Volleyball was a lot of fun, but I knew it wasn't my sport.”

“I'm doing whatever I have to do to help my team win. So, instead of being focused on anything from the outside, I'm focused on winning and that next game.”

“I thought I needed to go to one of the top five schools in the nation and never even thought 'What's important to me?' Instead of figuring out what was important, which was obviously being near home, I kind of just went with what everyone thought I should do.”

“It's expensive to raise a child with special needs, which people don't even think about. Emotionally it can be a struggle, but financially it's really rough.”

“Spend time with your family and try to spend time doing things that you enjoy doing other than basketball.”

“As I grew up, I became aware that there are people with special needs out there, and I have a real connection with them.”

“I'd rather be a face for happiness and doing things that you have a passion for, rather than faking it and pretending like I'm this face of women's basketball, when I can't stand the sport at all.”

“I could do whatever I wanted as a girl, whatever my brother did. I could play against the boys and achieve whatever they did.”

“Every time I was playing basketball, I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't realize that feeling was having to leave my family - having to leave my sister, who can't even communicate with me when I'm gone.”