Sports

DeWanna Bonner delivers rare Mercury bright spot with career milestone

High Post Hoops · Jul 20, 2026 15:27 · 3 min read

DeWanna Bonner delivers rare Mercury bright spot with career milestone — Jul 7, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner (24) reacts against the Chicago Sky in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DeWanna Bonner added another milestone to her long list of accomplishments.

The Mercury’s season has been a massive disappointment so far. Phoenix is sitting well outside the playoff picture and has already lost more games than in all of last season. Losing Satou Sabally in free agency really hurt the team.

Sunday’s game against the Sun was a rare reason for celebration. The Mercury logged their ninth win of the season, and DeWanna Bonner added a new career milestone to her already extensive resume. She passed Brittney Griner as the Mercury’s all-time leader in total rebounds with 2324.

DeWanna Bonner’s name is on many more Mercury all-time lists

This is DeWanna Bonner’s second stint with the Mercury. The Mercury drafted her with the fifth overall pick in 2009, and she stayed with the team until 2019, winning two championships with them as a key reserve. She won three consecutive Sixth Player of the Year awards.

Bonner is already firmly established as a franchise great. The top of almost every all-time category for the Mercury is usually some combination of Bonner, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Penny Taylor, with Taurasi claiming the crown in most cases.

Bonner currently ranks first in total rebounds, second in minutes played, third in field goals made, second in made 3-pointers, second in steals, third in blocks, and third in points. She still has a chance to move up in a few categories, like assists, steals, blocks, and points, depending on how much longer she plays. Bonner is, after all, 38 years old.

With just one more season as a Mercury, Bonner could also pass Griner to move into second place in total points scored for the franchise. Taurasi sits far atop the list with 10646, but Griner is just 236 points ahead of Bonner with 5572. Bonner averaged 9.4 points through her first 27 games with the Mercury this season. If she maintained that average, she would score roughly 160 points in the last 17 games of the regular season (if she plays all of them). That would leave her 76 points shy of tying Griner.

Bonner isn’t just one of the most productive players in Mercury history

Bonner’s impact stretches well beyond the Mercury franchise. You can also find her name on most WNBA all-time lists. She is third in total points scored (334 away from tying Tina Charles for second), sixth in steals, tenth in made 3-pointers, and sixth in rebounds. She needs just four more rebounds to overtake Rebekkah Brunson and break into the top five.

As the game against Connecticut proved, Bonner still has plenty of great basketball left in her. She finished the game with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal. The Mercury may not be where they want to be, but Bonner’s longevity is incredibly impressive.

Bonner is nearing the end of her career, but it’s difficult to imagine that she will want to retire after a disappointing season that ended without one more playoff trip. After all, she hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2012, not counting the 2017 season when she was pregnant. So, she might be back for the 2027 season—unless the Mercury pull off a miracle turnaround and make the playoffs after a 9-18 start.