DeWanna Bonner returns to Phoenix: ‘The love and welcome was very much needed’

NEW YORK (AP) — DeWanna Bonner is happy to be back home in Phoenix.

The veteran spent the first 10 years of her career with the Mercury before leaving for Connecticut and then a brief stint in Indiana to start the season. When that didn’t work out, she signed with Phoenix earlier this month.

“I wouldn’t do anything differently. I think my journey is my journey and I’m going to accept that,” Bonner said. “It carried me to where I am now in Phoenix and it happened that way for a reason.”

The 37-year-old wing was focused on her future with Phoenix more than dwelling on the past or what went wrong in Indiana that ended with the team releasing her.

She did find the narrative that she was disgruntled to come off the bench amusing after starting the first few games for the Fever. In the opener she moved into third on the WNBA career scoring list.

“That wasn’t ever the issue, that’s never been me,” said Bonner, who has won the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year award three times. “I have no problems coming off the bench. I have never been that player. I don’t feel like I have that reputation.”

Phoenix began a five-game road trip in New York on Friday night and lost 89-76. She had nine points.

“DB is a really good addition for us. She can play the two, the three and four and maybe even some five, depending on different lineups that, we’ll look at starting here, moving forward,” Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said. “She’s won championships. You know, her second game with us, we go on to Golden State, have some injuries and she goes for 22 and 11. You know, we’re not winning that game without her so she’s been a huge pickup for us.”

The Mercury will head to Indiana on Wednesday and Bonner said she wasn’t sure what the reaction will be from the fans.

“I’m just going to go out and do my job,” she said. “They have every right to go out and do what they want to do, I’m just going to go out and compete with my team.”

It wasn’t all bad in Indiana for Bonner, who was only a four-hour drive from her 7-year-old twin daughters, who turn eight soon.

“I got to spend more time with them then before,” she said.

Bonner hopes to lift the Mercury to another championship. She helped the franchise win two after getting drafted fifth by the team in 2009.

“Getting back to Phoenix after so long, the love and the welcome that I had was very much needed and appreciated,” Bonner said. “Coming back to people that I know.”

The biggest change she has seen in her time away has been in the building that the team plays in.

“I walk into the arena for game day and I had no idea where I was going, and it was crazy because I was there for 10 years every day,” Bonner said. “Everything is different, but the fans are still the same, a couple people in the front office are the same.”

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball