Delle Donne, Moore Go Head-To-Head For First Time In 2016 On Wednesday

Jack Maloney

The last two MVPs, last year’s top two leading scorers, and two members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team: that’s who will be squaring off tomorrow afternoon in Chicago when the Sky welcome the visiting Minnesota Lynx.

Elena Delle Donne and Maya Moore are two of the brightest stars the league, and Wednesday they’ll meet for the first time in the 2016 season.

Thanks to impressive wins on opening weekend, both teams will enter the game at 1-0. While Delle Donne missed the Sky’s opener due to an illness, Chicago ultimately cruised to a win over the Connecticut. As for Moore, she was in prime form against the Phoenix Mercury in the league’s showcase game on ESPN on Saturday night, dropping 27 points and dishing out a career-high 10 assists as the Lynx also pulled away for an easy win.

With Delle Donne and Moore going head to head, Wednesday’s matchup will have a primetime feel despite being played in the middle of the afternoon. Delle Donne, of course, is one of the most unique talents to ever play in the league. Her athleticism and ability to play both inside and outside have made her, at times, simply unguardable. Last season’s MVP campaign, in which she put up averages of 23.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks was one of the best in league history.

Moore, who won the MVP in 2014, put up 20.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists last season and might have come away with a second straight MVP if not for Delle Donne’s legendary year. Moore’s smooth jumper and indefatigable drive to win has helped her lead the Lynx to three titles in just five seasons. On the way to the third of those championships last season, she sunk an iconic buzzer beater on the road in Game 3 to help turn the series in Minnesota’s favor.

The Sky and Lynx split their two meetings last year, with each team winning at home. In those two games, the marquee stars came to play. EDD averaged 19 points and 9.5 rebounds a night, while Moore averaged 29.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. Will the two stars live up to their reputations and deliver a brilliant matchup Wednesday afternoon? All signs point to yes, but you’ll have to tune-in to WNBA League Pass at 12:30 p.m. ET to find out for yourself.