Delle Donne's season at risk due to back injury

Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donne's season could be done due to nerve pain stemming from back surgery.

Delle Donne is unlikely to play Friday against the Atlanta Dream and could also miss the team's final three regular-season games, Mystics head coach Mike Thibault said, according to The Washington Post's Kareem Copeland.

Thibault confirmed the two-time WNBA MVP hasn't been practicing with the team because of the nerve pain.

Delle Donne, 32, has appeared in just three games this season following a 682-day hiatus due to her back injury and COVID-19 precautions.

The six-time All-Star was recently named to the WNBA's "W25" list of the 25 best players in league history. She was one of 10 current WNBAers to make the cut.

The Mystics will also be without Myisha Hines-Allen and Ariel Atkins on Friday due to a non-COVID-19 illness and a death in the family, respectively, according to Copeland.

Washington currently sits ninth in the WNBA standings, a half-game back of the New York Liberty for the final playoff position.