DeWanna Bonner

Last updated

DeWanna Bonner
DeWanna Bonner 2024.jpg
Bonner with the Connecticut Sun in 2024
No. 14Phoenix Mercury
Position Shooting guard / small forward
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1987-08-21) August 21, 1987 (age 37)
Fairfield, Alabama, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Macedonian
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight140 lb (64 kg)
Career information
High school Fairfield (Fairfield, Alabama)
College Auburn (2005–2009)
WNBA draft 2009: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Drafted by Phoenix Mercury
Playing career2009–present
Career history
20092019 Phoenix Mercury
2009–2010 Basketbalový Klub Brno
2010–2011 Baloncesto Rivas
2011–2012 Perfumerías Avenida
2012–2016 Nadezhda Orenburg
2017–2018 USK Praha
2018–2019 Shandong Six Stars
2019–2020 Dynamo Kursk
20202024 Connecticut Sun
2021 Elitzur Ramla
2021 KSC Szekszárd
2022–2023 Çukurova Basketbol
2025 Indiana Fever
2025–presentPhoenix Mercury
Career highlights
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

DeWanna Bonner (born August 21, 1987) is an American-Macedonian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). [1] Bonner played college basketball for Auburn University. [2] After a successful college career at Auburn, she was drafted by the Mercury with the fifth overall pick of the 2009 WNBA draft, and was traded to the Sun in 2020. [3]

Contents

Early life

Bonner was born on August 21, 1987 in Fairfield, Alabama, [4] to LaShelle Bonner and Greg McCall. She has three siblings, sister Vin'Centia Dewberry, brother Justin McCall, and sister Erica McCall (with whom she shares a birthday).

Bonner attended high school at Fairfield High School in Fairfield, Alabama. She was named McDonald's [5] and WBCA All-American and participated in their All-America games. [6] She earned USA Today Junior All-America and was the Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year while at Fairfield High School. She was featured in USA Today in 2005 as one of the nationwide Top 25 recruits.[ citation needed ]

College career

Bonner went to Auburn University, where she earned a degree in psychology. [7] She was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. She scored double figures in 22 games during the 2005–06 season and led the Tigers with a 13.5 points per game average, the first time since 1980–81 that a freshman led the team in scoring.

In 2009, Bonner was named SEC Player of the Year [8] and a National Player of the Year finalist, she broke the Auburn career scoring record during the Ole Miss game at the SEC Tournament. She finished her career with 2,162 points, nearly 100 more than the former school record. [5] Bonner led the SEC in scoring that season,[ when? ] becoming the first Auburn player to ever earn the honor. She also ranked 10th in the country in scoring while setting the Auburn single-season scoring record with 716 points, 21.1 per game.

In 2009, she earned WBCA/State Farm, USBWA, AP and ESPN.com All-America honors and was voted the Alabama Sports Writers Association Amateur Athlete of the Year. [9]

She finished her college career as Auburn's second all-time rebounder with 1,047, placing her among three Tigers with more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. At the time of her graduation, she ranked sixth in blocks, seventh in steals, first in free throws, fourth in field goals and tenth in three-pointers.[ citation needed ]

Professional career

WNBA

Phoenix Mercury (2009–2019)

Bonner was selected fifth overall in the 2009 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury. In her first regular season game with the Mercury, Bonner played 26 minutes and scored 16 points. [10] She won a championship with the Mercury during her rookie season.

On September 12, 2014, Bonner won her second WNBA Championship with the Mercury, scoring 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in the clinching game.

Bonner with the Phoenix Mercury in 2019 Dewanna Bonner in 2019 (cropped).jpg
Bonner with the Phoenix Mercury in 2019

In 2017 Bonner sat out the season due to pregnancy. She returned to the team in 2018 and was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. [11] The Mercury made the 2018 playoffs as the fifth seed and were one game away from reaching the finals as they lost in five games to the Seattle Storm in the semi-finals.

Connecticut Sun (2020–2024)

On February 11, 2020, Bonner was traded to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for three first-round draft picks. [3]

Indiana Fever (2025)

On February 2, 2025, Bonner signed a one-year contract with the Indiana Fever. [12] [13] On May 17, in her regular season debut for the Fever, Bonner became the number three all-time leading scorer in the WNBA, passing Tina Thompson. [14] Bonner began the season, starting the first three games; however, she came off the bench for the following six games (with Lexie Hull getting the starting nod). [15] Since the Fever's June 13 game, Bonner had been listed on injury reports as unavailable due to "personal reasons." [15] On June 24, it was reported by Annie Costabile from multiple sources that Bonner "[had] no interest in returning to play for the Fever." [15] [16] The next day, the Fever announced that they had waived Bonner, who in her own words stated she "felt the fit did not work out" and she preferred to play for teams such as the Phoenix Mercury or the Atlanta Dream. [17] [18] Fever general manager, Amber Cox, spoke to the press on June 26 and stated that Bonner expressed her dissatisfaction "nine, ten games [into the season]" and that equal trade opportunities were sought but no suitable trade options were found which resulted in Bonner being waived. [19]

Return to Phoenix (2025–present)

Bonner returned to the Mercury on July 8, 2025. [20]

Overseas

During the WNBA offseason, Bonner has played in the Czech Republic for BK Brno, Spain for Baloncesto Rivas and CB Avenida, and Russia for Nadezhda Orenburg. [21] [22]

International career

Bonner joined the US women's youth team in 2006, winning the 2006 FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship for Women and the FIBA Under-21 World Championship for Women one year later. [7]

In March 2018, Bonner received a Macedonian passport and became eligible to play for the North Macedonia national basketball team. [23] She played her first game for North Macedonia in 2021 as part of the EuroBasket Women 2023 qualification, scoring 11 points with 9 rebounds in a victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. [24] [25]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold Career best°League leader
Denotes seasons in which Bonner won a WNBA championship

WNBA

Regular season

Stats current as of game on July 10, 2025

WNBA regular season statistics
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2009 Phoenix 34021.3.457.154.8125.80.40.60.71.011.2
2010 Phoenix 32425.4.465.358.8406.11.30.61.21.212.0
2011 Phoenix 34525.2.430.343.9097.00.81.01.01.010.7
2012 Phoenix 323235.0.364.283.8527.22.21.70.82.320.6
2013 Phoenix 343332.9.410.325.9015.82.41.10.31.614.5
2014 Phoenix 343429.2.459.279.7804.12.31.40.41.310.4
2015 Phoenix 333333.3.378.254.8665.73.31.30.81.815.8
2016 Phoenix 342431.3.424.329.7985.42.41.20.61.614.5
2017Did not play (pregnancy/maternity leave)
2018 Phoenix 343432.9.452.313.8677.23.21.20.41.617.3
2019 Phoenix 343432.9.377.272.9167.62.71.30.61.617.6
2020 Connecticut 222233.3.422.252.8957.83.01.70.52.419.7
2021 Connecticut 323231.9.395.317.8926.43.51.30.72.215.2
2022 Connecticut 333330.0.439.329.8274.72.81.20.31.613.5
2023 Connecticut 404030.1.425.329.8625.62.21.10.61.517.4
2024 Connecticut 403931.8.415.294.8326.02.01.20.71.415.0
2025 Indiana 9321.3.345.360.8953.81.61.10.11.07.1
Phoenix 1026.0.333.0001.0006.02.01.00.00.07.0
Career16 years, 3 teams51240230.2.415.304.8586.12.31.20.71.614.8
All-Star6316.7.444.2501.0003.31.70.20.20.26.5

Playoffs

WNBA playoff statistics
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2009 Phoenix 11016.9.493.000.8294.30.30.40.50.68.8
2010 Phoenix 4022.8.458.750.8333.30.50.71.80.77.5
2011 Phoenix 5535.8.348.217.8579.41.21.41.21.612.6
2013 Phoenix 5535.8.333.133.8575.23.41.20.42.210.4
2014 Phoenix 8835.8.360.333.9056.02.01.30.61.711.3
2015 Phoenix 4431.6.451.450.9336.02.50.20.72.717.3
2016 Phoenix 5024.2.426.000.8244.21.61.00.02.810.8
2018 Phoenix 7738.6°.535.308.90911.12.41.60.82.124.0
2019 Phoenix 1133.0.357.667.9006.02.01.00.02.021.0
2020 Connecticut 7735.0.333.2861.000°10.43.91.91.12.615.4
2021 Connecticut 4435.0.404.400.9097.01.31.01.82.813.5
2022 Connecticut 121231.5.341.294.8865.83.61.50.71.712.2
2023 Connecticut 7736.9.385.365.7748.33.41.01.61.618.1
2024 Connecticut 7733.4.396.378.9297.92.91.90.61.416.0
Career12 years, 2 teams876731.4.401.310.8846.82.31.20.81.813.7

College

College statistics [26]
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2005–06Auburn2931.4.422.303.6916.51.91.40.62.613.5
2006–07Auburn3229.7.459.286.7798.11.71.60.92.615.1
2007–08Auburn3134.3.447.277.81210.02.11.91.22.818.4
2008–09 Auburn 3433.0.482.339.8458.51.51.71.62.121.1
Career12632.1.456.303.7958.31.81.71.12.517.2

Personal life

In November 2014, she married fellow WNBA player and former Mercury teammate Candice Dupree. [27] In April 2017, she announced she was pregnant and would miss the 2017 WNBA season. [28] In July 2017, Bonner gave birth to twin daughters. [29]

Bonner and Dupree split up, probably in 2020. [30] She got engaged in 2023 to former Sun and current Mercury teammate Alyssa Thomas, who proposed to Bonner during that year's All-Star weekend. [31]

See also

References

  1. "DeWanna Bonner Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and More". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  2. "DeWanna Bonner - Women's Basketball". Auburn University Athletics. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Sun trade 3 1st-round picks to sign star Bonner". ESPN.com. February 11, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  4. "Dewanna Bonner". EuroBasket.
  5. 1 2 "Auburn honors DeWanna Bonner: 'This is my home'". Auburn University Athletics. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  6. Auburn Player Profile High School Highlights
  7. 1 2 "DeWanna Bonner". Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  8. "Auburn honors DeWanna Bonner: 'This is my home'". Auburn University Athletics. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  9. "DeWanna Bonner Named ASWA Alabama Amateur Athlete Of The Year". auburntigers.com. June 7, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  10. "WNBA.com: Rookies Shine on Opening Night". www.wnba.com. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  11. "Bonner Goes From Having Twins To Being An All-Star In The Twin Cities". wnba.com. July 28, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  12. "Transactions". WNBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025. DeWanna Bonner signed a Contract with the Indiana Fever.
  13. "Six-Time WNBA All-Star DeWanna Bonner Joins Indiana Fever". Fever.WNBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved February 6, 2025. Bonner, who ranks fourth all-time in the WNBA in scoring, joins the Fever after five seasons with the Connecticut Sun, including the 2023 and 2024 campaigns under Fever Head Coach Stephanie White.
  14. Peterson, Chloe (May 17, 2025). "She's been in WNBA for 15 years. DeWanna Bonner got emotional soaking up milestone in sold-out arena". Indianapolis Star . Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 Costabile, Annie (June 24, 2025). "Fever and Bonner Heading for a Breakup? Here's What We Know". Front Office Sports. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  16. Peterson, Chloe (June 24, 2025). "DeWanna Bonner, Indiana Fever heading toward a split, possible trade. What we know". Indianapolis Star . Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  17. "Indiana Fever Sign Guard Aari McDonald Through Remainder of Season". Indiana Fever. WNBA. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  18. Young, Grant (June 25, 2025). "DeWanna Bonner Waived by Indiana Fever After WNBA Trade Request Attempt". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  19. "Indiana Fever GM Amber Cox discusses DeWanna Bonner waiver, Aari McDonald, more". YouTube. June 26, 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  20. "Mercury make signing of veteran Bonner official". ESPN.com. July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  21. "DeWanna Bonner Basketball Player Profile, Phoenix Mercury, Auburn, News, WNBA stats, Career, Games Logs, Best, Awards - usbasket". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  22. "Dewanna Bonner | EuroLeague Women (2015) | FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  23. "Добредојде, Диуана!" [Welcome, DeWanna!]. basketball.mk (in Macedonian). March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  24. "North Macedonia vs Bosnia and Herzegovina - Group Phase - FIBA Women's EuroBasket Qualifiers | FIBA Basketball Events". www.fiba.basketball. November 4, 2021.
  25. "Dewanna Bonner (North Macedonia) - Basketball Stats, Height, Age | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball. May 29, 2025.
  26. "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  27. "Inside The W: Love & Basketball for Dupree, Bonner". Official Site of the WNBA. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  28. "DeWanna Bonner To Miss 2017 Season Due To Pregnancy". WNBA . March 8, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  29. Drawford, Dakota (September 6, 2017). "How a married WNBA couple is raising newborn twins. 'It's my turn to sacrifice.'". The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  30. Alexander, Claire (August 13, 2024). "Sapphic Splits Of The Century". GO . Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  31. O'Kane, Caitlin (June 24, 2024). "Connecticut Sun's DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas are teammates, and engaged. Here's their love story". CBS News . Retrieved July 21, 2025.