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The talk of Friday's contest between the Phoenix Mercury and the Connecticut Sun had little to do with the WNBA playoffs. It was all about the reunion of the 2014 Mercury championship roster. Before the game, Sun forward DeWanna Bonner spoke with ClutchPoints about what was so successful about that historic team.
“I think we just kind of bought in, everybody bought into their role,” Bonner said. “Everybody was playing so well with each other, there was no conflict. I did my job and my role for this team and everybody just kind of fit in at the time and we just bought in. We came in, everybody was laser focused and we wanted it. That's what we did… no distractions.”
Although Bonner is an WNBA great who has set her milestones, she took a backseat for the championship gold. During that season, the Mercury composed the best regular-season record in WNBA history. The 29-5 record presented many more interesting tidbits that the squad accomplished.
Phoenix led the WNBA in points (2840), field goal percentage (48.4 percent) and blocks (205). They also had a 16-game winning streak, which marked the second-longest in WNBA history. Bonner played a huge role in the success, averaging 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Although her shots and numbers took a dip from years prior, she sacrificed what was necessary to win.
How was current Sun forward DeWanna Bonner used with the Mercury?
Bonner was one of five players to average double-figures in points. She also played alongside Hall-of-Famer Penny Taylor, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Candice Dupree in the starting lineup. There was only one ball to go around but the Mercury made it all work. Taurasi and Taylor operated the perimeter while Dupree and Griner handled the low post. This is where Bonner steps in.
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She excels at both the outside and inside game. Former Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello was ecstatic to use Bonner in a variety of situations. Brondello matched Bonner on shorter forwards, which she could shoot over. She could have Bonner take a big out to the perimeter and get to the basket without hesitation.
With Taurasi and Griner still with the Mercury, Bonner was traded to the Sun in 2020 after spending ten seasons with Phoenix. Even as Bonner has had some great years with Connecticut, she's still impressed with how her former teammates are playing a decade later.
“Diana is the greatest of all time,” Bonner said. “I don't think you need to even speak on her. BG is on her way to being one of the best centers to ever play in the WNBA but still has a lot more basketball left to play. They are Olympic Gold Medalists and champions in this league. They're MVPs. I don't even know if you need to speak about it. That speaks for themselves.”
Ten years since winning a WNBA title, Bonner went back in 2022 with the Sun before losing to the eventual champion, Las Vegas Aces. Regardless of her quest for another championship, Bonner puts the 2014 squad above any other team.
“We haven't won one in Connecticut yet, so we try to keep up the championship spirit pedigree in there,” Bonner said. “I think we got the same type of grit but nothing compares to that 2014 team. We had like a 16-game win streak and that's kind of unheard of in the WNBA, especially with the schedule that we play. So nothing compares to that team.”
The Sun look to secure the No. 2 seed from the Minnesota Lynx before the season concludes. If they make that jump, it could be another Mercury and Sun matchup in the opening round of the WNBA playoffs.
