The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
WNBA Sun’s Bonner savoring time as a mother
Of course, DeWanna Bonner misses basketball. How can she not?
The three-time All-Star and three-time Sixth Woman of the Year was one of this offseason’s most prized free agents, acquired by the Connecticut Sun in a blockbuster sign-and-trade.
“I’m just anxious to get to Connecticut to put some names and faces together,” said Bonner, who spent the first 10 years of her WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury. “So many people have introduced themselves to me over the phone and through text messages. And I have no idea who they are. Just to get there and start a relationship with all my teammates, it’s something totally new for me.”
In the meantime, Bonner is resting in Tampa, Fla., with her wife, Candice Dupree — a former teammate of hers in Phoenix — and their two-year-old twin daughters, Cali and Demi, relishing the opportunity to press pause on her hectic lifestyle.
Bonner, 32, returned home earlier than usual after the Russian Premier League, where she was playing for Dynamo Kursk, shut down in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sunday
will be the first Mother’s Day she spends with her children.
“Maybe we’ll grill, sit by the pool, chill out. Usually I’m in Phoenix or somewhere else in the WNBA, so it will be pretty special this year,” she said. “The little things are important now, so it’s pretty cool.”
There’s no telling when, or even if, the WNBA season will tip off. So Bonner’s trying to stay in shape the best she can, doing lots of cardio while balancing the demanding but joyous responsibilities of being a mother.
“Besides when they were first born — I took (the 2017 season) off — this has probably been the most every day that I’ve been around,” Bonner said. “It’s been kind of fun. Of course I miss basketball, but I’m enjoying this time I have at home. It’s kind of rare.”
And make no mistake, Bonner’s children have been keeping her busy.
“Oh my God,” she exclaimed. “They’re walking and they’re talking; they’re having full conversations. They’re doing it all. They’re riding bikes, riding carts, swimming. They’re all over the place.”
CHOOSING A NEW HOME
Bonner had plenty of suitors in free agency. A versatile 6-foot-4 forward who was fifth in scoring last season (17.2) and tied for ninth in rebounding (7.6), she was courted by nearly every team in the WNBA. All options were on the table, including joining forces with Dupree, a seven-time All-Star, in Indiana.
“Indiana was coming pretty hard. Everybody was coming pretty hard,” Bonner said, before adding, “You probably want to do what’s best for the babies, and that probably would’ve been the best situation for both parents there, but it didn’t work out.”
Bonner eventually narrowed her options down to Connecticut, Phoenix, Dallas and Minnesota. But she felt most comfortable with the Sun, in part because of her familiarity with vice president Amber Cox.
Cox worked nine years in Phoenix, including the last two as president and chief marketing officer, and was a part of championships in 2009 and 2014 with Bonner. Cox and Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller traveled to Bonner’s hometown of Birmingham, Ala., during the offseason to sell her on signing with them.
“I wanted to go somewhere that I could feel comfortable, and I knew (Cox) could make it as comfortable as possible,” Bonner said. “It can be scary changing from somewhere that you frankly called home to go somewhere new. I definitely wanted to make sure that me and my family felt comfortable.”
For now, Bonner plans to stay in Florida until basketball returns. And when it does, either this year or next, she’ll be back on the road, back to shuffling from one city to the next like her spouse.
“It’s difficult, but I have a great support system with my family and Candice’s family. We work together,” Bonner said. “(Our children) are first no matter what. It’s best for them. My support system is huge because we’re not always home. We travel for a living.”