DeWanna Bonner 'excited to be back home' after signing with Phoenix Mercury
Amid interest from other teams, DeWanna Bonner said she signed with the Phoenix Mercury because Phoenix is "home" to her.
PHOENIX — One-thousand nine-hundred and seventy-four days later, DeWanna Bonner is back in Phoenix.
The free agent forward signed with the Mercury on Tuesday morning after making a surprise appearance at the Mercury’s win over the Dallas Wings on Monday, a mere two hours after reports surfaced Bonner was signing with the Mercury.
“Watching last night was definitely different,” Bonner said. “Watching it and being in it is different from when I was here six years ago, I think.”
The soon-to-be 38-year-old, now in her 16th WNBA season, had a tough decision to make after her unceremonious ending in Indiana.
She last played on June 10 and had been away from the Fever for the next two weeks for what the team called “personal reasons.” She was ultimately waived by Indiana on June 25.
But amid multiple teams around the league gauging interest in her, she opted to return to a place of familiarity. A place she still sees as home more than five years later.
“I mean it’s home,” Bonner said on why she decided to sign with the Mercury. “I know I’m gonna get the love, the support. The team, obviously, I know a lot of ladies on the team, but just excited to be back home, some familiarity around the city and the town.
“I don’t even know. I just got here yesterday, so everything is kinda like sinking in, but I just wanted to be back home.”
A lot has changed since Bonner last played in Phoenix. The Mercury have an entirely new roster, a new owner, a new general manager, a new coaching staff and a new $100 million practice facility.
But Bonner’s legacy still remains forever etched in Mercury history and in the heart’s of the X-Factor fanbase.
“Yeah this is my first time in (the Mercury’s practice facility). It’s just kind of been surreal,” Bonner said. “I was just telling everybody I was here for 10 years, but it feels like a brand new place since everything’s changed so much, but the fans made me feel welcome and they’re the same, so it still feels like home, just happy to be home.”
Bonner still ranks second in games played (335) and third in points (4,820), rebounds (2,072), assists (705) and blocks (237) in Mercury franchise history.
DeWanna Bonner reunites with Alyssa Thomas
On Feb. 11, 2020, Bonner was traded to the Connecticut Sun for three first-round picks after she played 10 seasons in Phoenix.
While playing in Connecticut, Bonner played five seasons with Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. The pair became engaged during the 2023 All-Star break.
“Yeah definitely very happy (to be back with Thomas), but it’s a job and we come in as teammates, and we come in and handle this as a business,” Bonner said. “We want to win first and foremost, and we want to do it in the most professional way. That’s what we’ve been doing and that’s what we’ll continue to do. As far as off the court, we just live our life like normal people.”
With Bonner joining a Mercury team (13-6) that is sitting second in the WNBA standings, she said she was “worried” about coming to Phoenix because the Mercury have “great chemistry already.”
However, she was told her role with the Mercury is to just be herself.
“But they reassured me that they wanted me here, they needed me here,” Bonner said.“I’m just gonna do what got me through for 16 years.”
Nice interview! Happy to welcome her back home. At the same time, I feel terrible for Musa who played well and seemed to be a great teammate.