After an admittedly rocky exit from Indiana, all eyes were on DeWanna Bonner to prove her naysayers wrong. The sixteen-year WNBA vet returned home after suffering a dramatic dip in production, something to be expected when you don’t fit in a team’s system, and she was tired of holding herself back. “Just to be me,” she had said upon being back home, and wanted to leave no stone unturned in excelling. Which is why, a few months later, seeing her valuable contributions in Phoenix’s first-round win over New York doesn’t surprise me.

It was a spiritual upset of sorts. Sure, the Mercury snagged a higher seed, albeit just barely, and had homecourt advantage. But the Liberty is the Liberty… The defending champs, the favorites to win it all. But two solid games from DB had them looking lost, even in the Barclays Center! And the Phoenix Mercury head coach didn’t shy away from admitting just how valuable the Mercury legend has been to this year’s campaign.

In the post-game presser, head coach Nate Tibbetts attributed a large part of the team’s success to having DB back on the roster. She’s still operating in a reduced capacity, but the vet has a lot more freedom than she did in Indiana. In about 24.4 minutes, Bonner is averaging about 10.9 points and 4.3 boards for the Mercury–efficient and effective. Also, her homecoming success has led to a not-so-surprising revelation from the head coach. “We’ve tried to go and get her to come back home to Phoenix the last two off-seasons.”

And honestly? It makes sense. She might be feeling the years by now, but not many players can accomplish what DeWanna Bonner has in her career. Even Tibbetts was surprised by them when he rewatched one of the first-round games. “Just hearing what the people were saying on TV about, like, all of her accolades, what she’s done in the playoffs, the points that she’s scored, um, the games that she’s played in… We’re so damn lucky to have her, and she’s been just awesome.” He said. “She’s a big reason why we are where we are. And it’s just been a ton of fun having her around.”

Well, Tibbetts is spot on. Ever since Bonner entered the league in 2009 as the fifth overall pick, she’s had a knack for shining the brightest in the postseason. That very first year, she was part of a Mercury team that lifted the championship, and she also picked up the Sixth Woman of the Year award, an honor she went on to win two more times. Phoenix became her home for over a decade, where she made nine playoff runs before heading to Connecticut in 2020, and even there, she kept the streak alive with five more.

What stands out is how often she’s been the difference in those moments. Her best playoff showing came in 2018, when she poured in 29 points, grabbed 11 boards, and added four assists and a steal to push the Mercury past Dallas. And with the Sun, she reminded everyone she could still take over a game, dropping 25 points against Minnesota in a must-win spot. When you look back, Bonner’s postseason track record tells the story of someone who’s not just been around a long time, but someone who knows exactly how to rise to the occasion.

In this playoff series, DeWanna Bonner is averaging 13 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game on a whopping 68% from the field! Not only that, she’s doing it in just 26 minutes of play. There’s no doubting that DB can still get a bucket whenever she wants. But the six-foot-four wing can do so much more than just score, and her most recent accolade is the perfect proof!

Phoenix Mercury’s series win leads to a major accolade for DeWanna Bonner

Have you heard of the phrase, ‘offense wins games, defense wins championships, and rebounding creates dynasties’? Well, that’s not exactly how it goes, but you get the point. So many people underestimate the importance of crashing the glass hard, but many players have made their careers out of it. It’s simple, it’s effective, and it’s something that DeWanna Bonner has kept in her bag all these years.

To be fair to the Mercury legend, she can do just about everything on the basketball court. However, in this recent playoff series versus New York, DB showed us exactly why rebounding is so important. She had a +9 box score in Game 3 with just 4 points scored. How, you might ask? Because she didn’t let the other team touch the ball for 21 minutes.

Bonner was ferocious on the glass tonight, grabbing 8 rebounds, seven of which were on the defensive end. Her efforts put an end to many possessions for the Liberty, and she made good use of the frontcourt struggles they had. In doing so, she also surpassed Candace Parker and became the playoffs’ all-time rebounds leader!

It is a fitting honor for a legend of the game. You simply can’t beat the level of consistency that DeWanna Bonner has shown throughout her career. She’s been active on both ends of the floor and has given her all to Phoenix time and time again. Nate Tibbetts and his squad will be relying on her two-way production heading into a tough contest with the Lynx.