At 38, DeWanna Bonner is redefining what longevity looks like in the WNBA. The league’s second-oldest active player continues to deliver double-digit scoring nights and clutch veteran minutes, but her true fuel comes from the stands. Two tiny super-fans, Cali and Demi, give Bonner’s career a deeper purpose and edge.

“I’m more focused. I think I want it more (because of them),” Bonner has said. “It’s pretty cool to look up and see your two kids sitting there going crazy and cheering for you. It makes you go a little bit harder. Everything I do is for them.” From a wiry rookie sharpshooter to a two-time champion and now a supermom, Bonner’s journey is as much about resilience as it is about basketball greatness. Let’s know a bit more about these superfans.

Who did DeWanna Bonner have kids with?

DeWanna Bonner’s path to motherhood is as unique as her career. She and her former wife, Candice Dupree, got engaged in November 2014, and three years later, Bonner gave birth to twin daughters, Cali and Demi, in July 2017 through IVF. Though the couple eventually split in 2020, their journey into parenthood had a twist of fate and a little persuasion.

The original plan was for one child, but on the drive to their IVF appointment, Dupree, herself a twin, made a last-minute suggestion to go for two. “She talked me into it, and that’s how we got the twins—and I wouldn’t ever do it again,” Bonner joked. “I love my babies, but no, one at a time is enough for me.” Still, the moment Cali and Demi arrived, Bonner’s heart was full. She fell in love instantly, embracing her new role not just as a WNBA star but as a mother whose biggest cheerleaders would forever be her daughters.

Who are Cali and Demi?

Cali and Demi, the twin daughters of DeWanna Bonner and Candice Dupree, were born on July 30, 2017, at IU Health North Hospital in Carmel. Bonner still recalls the day vividly: “Cali was born first. She came out around probably 20 minutes, and Demi was two hours later. They were born at 34 weeks and were very chunky and healthy babies.”

Since then, the girls have blossomed into their own unique personalities. “Now they are two totally different human beings,” Bonner said. “Demi is into baby dolls, and Cali is into skateboards, basketball, or soccer. It’s crazy to see how they grow up so differently. Demi even says, ‘Mom, I’m going to be a cheerleader for Cali.’”

Fast forward to 2025, Cali and Demi are energetic 8-year-old third-graders, navigating life with two loving homes thanks to Bonner and Dupree’s co-parenting. Whether on the sidelines, in the stands, or just being kids, the twins remain the center of Bonner’s world.

How does DeWanna Bonner balance motherhood and her career?

Bonner was determined to return to the court after giving birth to her twins, but the journey began long before her comeback. Confined to bed for more than a month as doctors monitored signs of early labor, her “workouts” were reduced to shuffling from the bathroom back to bed. Her sole mission was clear: keep the babies out of the NICU. So focused on that goal, she barely watched basketball.

When the six-week mark finally arrived, Bonner wasted no time. She was back in the gym the very day she was cleared, eyes already set on the 2018 season. Yet the climb was brutal. Getting back into game shape, she says, was the hardest thing she’s ever done.

“I don’t think people really understand what it takes to have a baby and come back and play,” Bonner said in an interview with Jordan Robinson in May 2024. “It felt like I’ve never played basketball a day in my life. I lost everything completely. I couldn’t jump, couldn’t run; my knees hurt so bad. My hips were gone. And I’m breastfeeding a little bit, too.”

Bonner started from ground zero. However, she was back soon enough. Bonner’s first game back after pregnancy was the Mercury’s 2018 season opener on May 18, 2018, an 86–78 win over the Dallas Wings in Phoenix, where she posted 17 points and 12 rebounds. Bonner has continued gracing the WNBA while managing her kids with her ex-wife.

“The girls can be in Florida with her. As of right now, she’s not playing WNBA, so it’s working out perfectly, and I can play and they have someone at home. This is the first time one of us have been playing and one of us has been at home.” Bonner said in 2021. With Candice Dupree taking over at Tennessee State in 2024, the family playbook would have largely remained the same: Bonner kept jetting city to city for the WNBA grind while Dupree planted roots in Nashville, running her own program and giving the twins a steadier home base during the WNBA season.

What has DeWanna Bonner said about being a mother?

DeWanna Bonner has been a WNBA legend while also playing overseas, all while embracing motherhood. She is not just another star in the league; she stands among the greatest in the game with two WNBA titles and six All-Star selections. A typical year for Bonner once meant an international trip in the offseason, but after 2023, she chose to take a step back to spend more time with her kids.

“This is the first year that I have been able to spend every single day in the offseason with my girls,” Bonner told CBS Sports during a phone interview in January 2024. “So now I feel like I’ve created a bond that’s just unmatched, and it’s been super, super, super special to me.”

She further explained, “Motherhood means more to me now than it did since I’ve had them, and that’s just gonna be pretty special. I always get emotional talking about it because I’ve missed out on so much with them. But now, oh, man, our bond is so crazy … those are my best friends.”

Now engaged to Connecticut Sun teammate Alyssa Thomas, Bonner continues to thrive on the court, but Cali and Demi remain her anchor. For all her trophies and accolades, it’s motherhood that defines her most.