“I took some time away from basketball. I went into the modeling lane a little bit.” That step into modeling was how DeWanna Bonner chose to mentally reset after a somewhat tumultuous 2025 season. And as it appears, she’s been doing quite well in that lane, making her runway debut, landing high-fashion collaborations, and taking part in a number of shoots that have done nothing but draw attention.

Her latest work in the modeling space has, of course, drawn quite a bit of attention. She shared pictures and videos from her most recent shoot in an Instagram post on Tuesday, April 21, and they were widely admired, with fans and even fellow players dropping compliments. Two of those came from Angel Reese and her former Indiana Fever teammate Mikayla Timpson, who both simply reacted with three smiling face with heart-eyes emojis “😍😍😍.”

And of course, DeWanna Bonner acknowledged those reactions, responding with heart emojis of her own. She and Timpson, especially, were recently teammates at the Indiana Fever, although it was quite brief. The Fever drafted Timpson 19th overall in April 2025, joining a roster that had signed Bonner as a veteran free agent in February. However, their time together was short-lived. Bonner played only nine games for Indiana before stepping away for personal reasons in June 2025. She was subsequently waived on June 25, 2025, and signed with the Phoenix Mercury two weeks later.

Her premature exit from Indiana is perhaps one key contributor to the mental strain she has spoken about, as she received backlash following the move. As she said, “It’s been tough. I went through a lot, especially the cyberbullying and things like that, but just thankful for my teammates, my family, my kids.” The 38-year-old guard is now on a recovery path with the Mercury, the team she joined after leaving Indiana.

With the Mercury, she became a premier reserve, fueling the team’s deep run to the 2025 WNBA Finals. She led all WNBA reserves in scoring with 10.6 ppg and in steals with 0.9 spg during the season. In 11 playoff games, she averaged 9.1 points and 6.8 rebounds. Most notably, in Game 3 of the Finals against the Las Vegas Aces, she recorded 25 points and 10 rebounds in a narrow loss.

It’s safe to say that the Mercury, as well as her modeling journey, has helped Bonner’s recovery. As she said last season following their Game 4 win over the Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals, “They brought joy back to me just watching them play that way and welcome me like that.” The franchise also showed support, dropping a comment on her post, writing, “She’s everything.”

Now, DeWanna Bonner is about to kick off the 2026 season with the Mercury. Of course, this isn’t just her second stint with the franchise, she originally joined the Phoenix Mercury as the fifth overall in 2009 and played there until 2019. During that time, she won two WNBA championships with the team, in 2009 and 2014. Perhaps she can repeat that feat once again this season.

DeWanna Bonner’s post has also drawn quite a number of reactions from fans. And of course, many of them were about how stunning she looked.

Fans See Supermodel Potential in DeWanna Bonner 

One fan compared Bonner to iconic American singer and actress Whitney Houston, saying, “So beautiful DB 😍 I had to double take, you look like Whitney Houston ❤️❤️❤️.” Another fan, also complimenting her, wrote, “A beautiful black Queen.”

Some fans are also fully buying into the modeling path she’s now exploring. One fan was even already predicting that she would transition into it fully after she puts an end to her basketball career. “And when basketball is done, modeling full time it is!!,” the fan said. Another then referred to her as their favorite supermodel, writing, “DB! Good Lord! You are stunning! 😍 My favorite WNBA superstar. My favorite supermodel!”

For one fan, however, those stunning pictures simply built anticipation for the season ahead. But beyond just the games, her excitement, as she put it, was about the “tunnel fits.” “Modeling on the side 🔥🔥🔥 can’t wait for the tunnel fits!!! 🔥🔥🔥,” she said.

Fortunately, this fan wouldn’t have to wait for long, as the Phoenix Mercury play their first preseason game on April 25, just three days away. They also open their regular season on May 9 against the Las Vegas Aces.

Starting the season with a win against the side that denied them the title last season would be perfect.