Nike Called Out for Misprinting Elena Delle Donne's Name on New Jerseys

Nike misspelled Elena Delle Donne's name in the newest jerseys set to be worn for the 2021 WNBA season. Here's Nike's response to the error.

March 30, 2021

Elena Delle Donne looks on during the game against the Seattle Storm. — Image via Getty/Ned Dishman/NBAE
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Players across the WNBA will be wearing new threads from Nike when the 2021 season tips off this summer.

Early looks at the soon-to-be-released ‘21 WNBA jerseys surfaced on social media this week after the uniforms began popping up at various sportswear stores across the country. One of the player’s jerseys that received the most attention from the leaked imagery was of Washington Mystics star and two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, which featured an error in her name. The backs of her two upcoming uniforms display “Delle-Donne” written across the center, however her surname isn’t spelled with a hyphen.

Delle Donne’s Washington Mystics teammate Natasha Cloud took to Twitter to address the error by saying “We can’t have nothing and who the hell hyphenated dellas last name!? Y’all would never see a mistake like that to a franchise player on the men’s side. DO BETTER.”

Nike has been producing jerseys for the WNBA since 2018. The brand’s designers have worked closely with WNBA players when creating the uniforms, specifically focusing on the fit and body cooling of the jerseys. Delle Donne has worn Nike throughout her WNBA career and helped launch the Air Zoom UNVRS in 2019. The shoe featured Nike’s FlyEase technology and utilized insights provided by Delle Donne’s sister Lizzie, who lives with disabilities.

When reached for comment, a Nike brand spokesperson said “Unfortunately, an error was made on the uniform and it will be corrected.”

According to Girls Talk Sports TV’s Khristina Williams, readers can expect the latest WNBA jerseys to be officially revealed on April 8.