DeWanna Bonner Faces Tough WNBA Career Decision After Dream’s Finals Defeat

The Phoenix Mercury agreed to a contract buyout with DeWanna Bonner so she could sign with a team that had a chance to be competitive in what might be her final postseason. She joined the Atlanta Dream and helped the team get to the finals. They were just one win away from her third championship and the franchise’s first.

Bonner was rather quiet during the finals, struggling to score efficiently. But she was instrumental in the Dream’s semifinals sweep of the New York Liberty when Allisha Gray missed all but eleven minutes with a hand injury. Her younger teammates also frequently credited her leadership and veteran experience for helping them get this far.

Now that the Golden State Valkyries are the new WNBA Champions, and the Dream went home disappointed, Bonner has a tough choice to make: retire or give it at least one more season to see if she can help the Dream get back to the finals.

Either decision would make sense. On one hand, Bonner is 39 years old and has accomplished pretty much everything a WNBA player can dream of. On the other hand, Bonner clearly still has value to a competitive team and some big games in her, even if her finals showing against the Valkyries’ top defense wasn’t her best.

There is no good or bad choice here, just whatever Bonner feels is the right move for her at this point in her career. It’s a tough choice—one of the toughest an athlete has to make—but at least Bonner gets to end her career on her terms.

Bonner’s WNBA Legacy Is Already Established

Bonner doesn’t need a third championship to stand out as one of the most successful players in WNBA history. After 17 seasons, Bonner is third on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list. She trails only Diana Taurasi and Tina Charles and is one of just four players who have ever scored 8,000 points in their career. Nneka Ogwumike is the fourth.

Moreover, Bonner already has six All-Star appearances on her resume. The most recent one was in 2024. She was also named to the All-WNBA First Team and the All-Defensive Second Team in 2015 and the All-WNBA Second Team in 2020.

Between 2009 and 2011, Bonner was named Sixth Player of the Year three seasons in a row. No other player has won the award more times, and Allie Quigley and Dearica Hamby are the only other players who received the honor more than once.

Whether she retires after this season or not, Bonner’s name is already inked in the WNBA’s history books—and the Phoenix Mercury’s. Bonner spent most of her career with the Mercury and was instrumental in two of their championship runs.

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