What better way to start the season than DeWanna Bonner’s historical milestone? After dropping 20 points, 6 rebounds, and an assist in today’s 92-71 winner, Bonner became the W’s 5th all-time leading scorer with 6901 career points. With this significant feat, Bonner surpassed her ex-wife, Candace Dupree who has garnered 6895 career points. Now, she needs only 215 points to surpass Tina Charles.

However, the list is being led by Diana Taurasi with 10131 points, followed by Tina Thompson with 7488 points, and thirdly, Tamika Catchings with 7380 points. Now, looking at things on the surface, this is just the beginning of another power-packed season, and who knows, Bonner might, if not ace, become W’s second-all-time leading scorer! Meanwhile, let’s explore what made her such a great basketball athlete.

DeWanna Bonner becoming one of W’s leading scorers

Although, all eyes were set on Caitlin Clark making her WNBA debut, however, the veterans stole the season opener by first of all winning the game and then making it a memorable game. “It was huge, it was a goal of mine. To do it here, on this night, with this team, this group, with this crowd, our fans made it even more special and I wish my babies could have been here. To be in this league it’s hard, to stay in this league it’s even harder. To be part of that list is amazing,” said Bonner, after joining the elite top-5 leading scorers’ club.

It’s been 5 seasons since she was acquired by Connecticut. Her scoring prowess is evident from her 10 points per game average in every season. However, her 20-point contribution played a crucial role in nudging the Sun toward today’s victory.

Moreover, DeWanna Bonner balanced her offense with her teammates, Alyssa Thomas, DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris, and Rachel Banham. On one hand, Thomas gave her classic triple-double feat with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists, while on the other, Carrington and Harris scored 16 points each. Whereas, Banham added her 10-point score. Altogether, all of them made up 75 of Sun’s 92 points.

Also, the Sun kept a strong display on the other end of the court as head coach, Stephanie White puts it, “We came out with a lot of energy, we did an excellent job on the defensive end for most of the ball game. Everybody that got into the ball game contributed in a big way. Certainly, defense has been and will always be our identity and I thought they played incredibly well together and connected on both ends of the floor and it’s a big first win for us.”

Now, let’s see how her path has been.

The Auburn Alumni

Before becoming a part of the WNBA, Bonner was the star player of the Auburn Tigers. Donning the Tigers jersey, Bonner became the 2009 SEC Player of the Year alongside being a 2x All-American. Her remarkable feat of 716 points in 2009 still sits as the most points scored in the program’s history in a single season.

During her 4-years with the Tigers, she garnered 2162 points and became the program’s leading scorer. She also achieved some other statistical ranks including 3rd with 1047 rebounds, 7th with 139 blocks, 1st with 600 free throws and 4th with a double-digit average of 17.2 points per game.

The program honored her collegiate career by retiring her #24 jersey on 21st January this year. Bonner graced the Neville Arean, the Tigers’ homecourt when her jersey was raised to the rafters, cementing the program’s all-time leading scorer’s contribution to its success.