Inside the remarkable longevity of DeWanna Bonner 

Last week Bonner hit seven 3-pointers, the most she’s ever sunk in a game in her 15-year professional career. She gave a shooting master class against the Atlanta Dream that reminded the world that there’s very little that can be done to stop Bonner when she’s feeling it. 

In the 2024 season, she’s averaging 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds, both marks that exceed her career averages. Her 17.1 points per game also make her the 11th-highest scorer in the league this season. 

How could it be that after 484 games in the WNBA, Bonner is still seemingly in her prime? 

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The continued elite performance is the result of a confluence of factors. As Bonner ages, she has gotten more meticulous with her physical routine, while also building upon her experiences and incorporating the veteran wisdom she’s accumulated.  

“I think I learn my body each and every year,” Bonner told The Next. “The older you get, you got to be a little bit smarter about the things you eat and how you sleep and take care of your body. For the most part, I think I do a pretty good job in the offseason of making sure I can come back in the season and sustain this crazy schedule — just understanding my body and learning it each and every year, and figuring out what works for me.”

Bonner spent the first 10 seasons of her career on the Phoenix Mercury, where she played alongside a plethora of WNBA greats, learning from each. Mentorship from some of the league’s all-time players helped her turn into the well-rounded player she is today. 

“I’m kind of a late bloomer in the whole process,” Bonner said. “I learned early from some great vets. A lot of people, they come in and make All-Star. They come in already stars. I had the way paved for me by Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor, Cappie Pondexter.”

Today, Bonner is the fifth-highest all-time scorer in WNBA history, a milestone she reached earlier this year. At the beginning of the season, she struggled with her outside shot but remained effective for Connecticut despite the shooting woes. Last week she was named an All-Star for the sixth time in her career. 

“The last two years she found the fountain of youth. The efficiency and effectiveness that she’s been able to have in our system has been incredible,” Sun head coach Stephanie White said. “And I think it’s a tribute to the way she works. I think it’s a tribute to her willingness to continue to grow as a player, not being stuck in her ways.”

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Bonner has been particularly effective as of late, surpassing 20 points in three of her last four games and consistently serving as the go-to option on a defensive-minded team that sometimes struggles offensively.

“I do think that she’s a bit overlooked in terms of what her legacy is and has been,” White said. “But as far as being instrumental in what we’ve done in our two years here in Connecticut, she’s really a centerpiece and a focal point of our success.”

After her career performance against the Dream, Bonner said she’s been prioritizing practicing her outside shot.

“I just been to the gym a lot, working on my 3s,” she said. “I feel like I was missing ones that were very easy in the beginning of the season. So literally, that’s all I work on after practice.”

By 36, most professional basketball players have retired. Among active players, only Taurasi (41) and Alysha Clark (37) are older than Bonner. 

But Bonner is seemingly only getting better. And the Connecticut Sun, at 18-5, are once again in the mix for a championship. After Bonner put up 17 points in a win against the Mercury, DiJonai Carrington pointed out that Bonner is one of the sport’s most prolific scorers.

“DB is DB,” Carrington said. “Fifth all time. That’s all time. I don’t even know how many people have ever played in the WNBA total, but that many people, she’s No. 5 all time. Scoring, that’s what she does. She could probably roll out the bed and drop 20 — she’s just built like that.”

Carrington’s not wrong: Bonner has averaged double figures in each of her 15 WNBA seasons, a consistency that very few players in the history of the league have been able to maintain.

“I think people gotta respect that,” Carrington said. “This season, I feel like she’s reminding them, like, ‘Yeah, this is what I do every single night. Whoever you put on me, this is what I do.’”

In her first four seasons, Bonner was a bench player. Six All-Star selections didn’t seem likely to be in the cards. But it became a goal, and now, Bonner shows few signs of slowing down. 

She said: “I’m blooming at the right time.”

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