WNBA Reacts to DeWanna Bonner’s Performance in 2nd Game After Leaving Indiana Fever
The Phoenix Mercury pulled off a nail-biting road victory against the Golden State Valkyries Monday night, improving to 15-6 on the season less than a week before WNBA All-Star Weekend.
Six-time All-Star, two-time Sixth Player of the Year, and two-time champion DeWanna Bonner led all scorers in the contest with 22 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes of action for the Mercury. This is just her second game since being released by the Indiana Fever.
The Mercury announced they had signed the 16-year WNBA veteran on July 8 after nine games with Indiana. She made her presence known in front of the hostile crowd at Chase Center with a deep-three late in the third quarter to take back the lead for Phoenix, catching the attention of the WNBA.
On its official X account, the WNBA reacted to the near-logo bomb–Bonner’s third of the night—with the caption: “DB FROM DOWNTOWN 🎯"
DB FROM DOWNTOWN 🎯
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 15, 2025
DeWanna Bonner drills her 3rd triple of the night, staying flawless from beyond the arc!
PHX-GSV | League Pass pic.twitter.com/pmYODLvySG
Bonner told reporters when she joined Phoenix that she wanted “just to be me” after leaving the Fever.
The explosive performance is a stark contrast from her time with Indiana, where she averaged 7.1 points per game with only two double digit-scoring efforts. Bonner’s 22 points and 11 rebounds are a season high.
The 6-foot-4 forward played 10 seasons and won two championships with the Phoenix Mercury before being traded to the Connecticut Sun. She signed with Indiana in 2025. Bonner’s fiancee Alyssa Thomas leads the Mercury in assists with 9.5 per game, and finished with 17 points in the victory. Bonner and Thomas took the scoring mantle for the Mercury in the absence of leading scorer Satou Sabally, out due to an ankle injury.
In a valiant effort, the Valkyries took the game down to the wire, with Janelle Salaun hitting a contested mid range jumper to tie the game 77-77 with six seconds remaining, but Thomas sealed the victory with a clutch go-ahead free throw with 1.0 second remaining.
Golden State falls to 10-11 in the first game back at Chase Center since a four-game road stint.
Anwar Stetson is a Multimedia Sports Journalist from Los Angeles, California. He previously worked as a TV News Reporter for KRCR News Channel 7 in Chico, California--covering politics, local news, wildfires, crime, and high school football. As an Assistant Editor for Spectrum Sportsnet: Los Angeles, Anwar worked on award-winning programs Backstage:Lakers and Backstage:Dodgers, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the two franchises' most prominent athletes. Anwar is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received his Master's Degree in Specialized Journalism (Sports Emphasis) in 2019. He graduated from the University of California, Merced with a B.A. in English in 2016. In addition to Sports Illustrated, Anwar covers high school sports for Prep Network, and the WNBA for The Sporting Tribune.