The Connecticut Sun struck first during their semifinal series in the WNBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Lynx with a 73-70 win on the road. Amid the Sun win, veteran forward DeWanna Bonner made WNBA playoffs history by playing in her 83rd playoff game as per ESPN.

It’s the most WNBA Playoff appearances ever by a single player. Bonner is one of the oldest players in the league, having been drafted with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury. She is also the only player on the Sun roster who has a championship ring.

Bonner finished Game 1 with ten points, 11 rebounds, five assists and one blocked shot in 33 minutes. During her 15-year WNBA career, Bonner has made the playoffs in all but one season which was 2012. She sat out the 2017 season due to giving birth to twins.

Bonner was playing for the Phoenix Mercury during the 2012 season during which they finished 7-27. They ended up securing the No. 1 pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft which they used to select Brittney Griney. Bonner won two titles with the Mercury, the first in 2009 and the second in 2014.

DeWanna Bonner key to Sun success

Connecticut Sun forward DeWanna Bonner (24) works around Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) during the first half of game one of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Target Center.
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

With DeWanna Bonner making WNBA history by making the most playoff appearances, the Sun are hoping that the streak continues through the end of the playoffs. The Sun are one of only three franchises (the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty being the other two) who have yet to win a WNBA title.

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The Sun have made two WNBA Finals appearances, the first coming in 2019 and the second coming in 2022. Bonner joined the Sun ahead of the 2020 season in a sign and trade deal with the Mercury. She was an integral piece during the 2022 Finals run.

She holds playoff career averages of 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 40.2 percent shooting from the field, 30.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 88.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Bonner was selected to her sixth All-Star appearance this year. She appeared in all 40 regular season games for the Sun at a little over 31 minutes per game. She averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 41.4 percent shooting from the field, 29.4 percent shooting from the three-point line and 83.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Bonner was also named to the WNBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.

The Sun now hold an early 1-o lead in their WNBA Semifinal series. Game 2 is set for Tuesday in Minnesota. The semifinals are a best of five series.