DeWanna Bonner's future is unclear, but her playoff run is writing her legacy
Bonner is playing incredibly well with the Atlanta Dream, according to www.highposthoops.com. The Dream are in the WNBA semifinals and just beat the New York Liberty on Sunday.
They will need to win the next two games to sweep the Liberty, which may be a tall order.
The Dream beat the Liberty without Allisha Gray in for most of the game after she suffered a hand injury. Whether Gray will play in the next games is not confirmed.
A LEGACY IN NUMBERS
Bonner has been here before, and the numbers back it up. According to www.highposthoops.com, she has won two championships: one in 2009 with the Mercury and the second in 2014, with the same team.
Since then, she has gotten close with the Connecticut Sun, and again with the Mercury last year. Twelve years have elapsed since her last championship, per www.highposthoops.com.
That gap explains the trade request that surprised so many people. If she is ring chasing, that is understandable. But her career totals stretch far beyond the titles, and the current playoff run with the Dream is adding another layer to a résumé that already spans nearly every part of the game.
MORE THAN A RING
A ring is a powerful and incredible thing, but a lasting legacy is even more powerful, according to www.highposthoops.com. Bonner has impacted nearly every part of the game, and that impact is on full display with the Atlanta Dream.
Bonner brought veteran leadership to a team that needed it, and it is clear that having her on the roster has already been an enormous asset, per www.highposthoops.com. The Dream are in the WNBA semifinals, and her presence has helped steady a group navigating the pressure of a deep playoff run.
Her résumé suggests she could extend that influence beyond her playing days. Bonner could have a strong career in coaching if that is something she is interested in, according to www.highposthoops.com. Whether she is interested in coaching is not confirmed — again, that seems to be what Bonner prefers.
For now, WNBA fans have a gift. They get to watch one of the greats play what may well be her final season, and she is doing so in a huge, and so far successful, way, per www.highposthoops.com. That is not always afforded to the legends of the game, and it is the type of rewarding scenario that is special, and that matters.
Bonner’s playoff run is writing her legacy in real time, and it is proving that her worth was never measured by championships alone.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
The Dream have a tall order ahead of them as they face the Liberty in the next games, per www.highposthoops.com. They beat New York on Sunday, but doing it again — and then a third time to complete a sweep — is a serious ask.
They may have to do it without Allisha Gray again. Gray suffered a hand injury and was out for most of the last game; whether she will play in the next games is not confirmed, according to www.highposthoops.com.
That puts more weight on Bonner’s shoulders, and she has carried it so far. She will be there through thick and thin, and if she keeps doing what she's doing, the Dream may go very far indeed, per www.highposthoops.com.
The next games are the clearest test of what this run really is. A sweep would be emphatic. A split would send the series back to New York with everything on the line.
Either way, Bonner plays on. Her future remains her own secret, but the present is right there on the court — and she is making the most of it.
Advertisement
You may also like
Buzelis: Last Year Was 'Extremely Hard' as Bulls Finally Find Structure
Matas Buzelis did not sugarcoat his second season. After Tuesday's practice at the Advocate Center, the 21-year-old called last year "extremely hard" and said…
The 1969 Zodiac cipher that hid a name — until codebreakers cracked it
In December 2020, a team of codebreakers — including David Oranchak, a software developer, and two others — decrypted the second Zodiac cipher. The…
The bloodstained watch that tied a doctor to his wife's murder scene
The watch had blood on it. It was found at the murder scene, inside the Bay Village home where Marilyn Sheppard died on July…
São Paulo Hosts South America's First WTA Coaches Workshop in Historic Debut
More than 60 tennis coaches gathered in São Paulo last month for a first in South American tennis: an official WTA Coaches Workshop, held…
Booed Larkin Returns as Red Wings Host Senators After Trade Demand
Dylan Larkin is back on the ice for the Detroit Red Wings — and the fans have not forgotten. Larkin made his season debut…
Red Wings Fans Boo Dylan Larkin in Injury Return Amid Trade Request Fallout
Dylan Larkin's return to the Detroit lineup didn't come with any grace period. The moment the center touched the puck Tuesday night against the…