{"id":809314,"date":"2024-07-18T11:04:14","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T15:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=809314"},"modified":"2024-07-18T12:03:38","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T16:03:38","slug":"alyssa-thomas-dewanna-bonner-cover-story-wslam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/the-magazine\/251\/alyssa-thomas-dewanna-bonner-cover-story-wslam\/","title":{"rendered":"Power Couple: Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner Talk The Olympics, Their Engagement and Building A Winning Culture With the Connecticut Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner are so much more than just partners on the court. They\u2019re the epitome of basketball dominance for the Connecticut Sun. DeWanna\u2019s the fifth-highest scorer in the history of the League. Alyssa is the W\u2019s all-time leader in triple-doubles. They each have their jerseys hanging in the arenas of their respective alma maters. They\u2019ve both won AP Comeback Player of the Year and have each claimed numerous League records. Simply put, they\u2019re the best players on one of the best teams in the W year after year. And if you couldn\u2019t tell by the diamond rock dancing on DeWanna\u2019s finger, they\u2019re also engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An uplifting energy was flowing throughout our office on a Monday morning in late June. After a two-and-a-half hour drive from Connecticut to NYC, all that can be felt and heard is an abundance of love and laughter shared by the couple as they pose for photos at their first-ever SLAM cover shoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rocking their bright orange Explorer Edition uniforms, both Alyssa and DeWanna are fully present in the moment, while creating pockets of time where they fall into a world all to their own. They\u2019re holding staring contests while we snap flicks and poking fun at their height difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love playing with Alyssa. She\u2019s one of the hardest working competitors in the League, so it kind of makes me want to go harder,\u201d DeWanna says. \u201cEven at my age, I\u2019m like, I\u2019ve got a little bit more in there to give because I see her going just as hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two have been dating for the past few years, and during 2023 All-Star Weekend out in Las Vegas, Alyssa proposed to DeWanna underneath the shade of palm trees accented by candles and hundreds of roses. They started off as competitors and still are in some ways. DeWanna drafted to the Phoenix Mercury in 2009. Alyssa drafted to the New York Liberty and immediately traded to the Connecticut Sun in 2014. Ahead of the 2020 bubble season, a blockbuster trade sent the two down the path of a relationship as teammates that eventually turned into partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The past five seasons have been a journey of ups and downs: new teammates, new coaches, new positions, new responsibilities. And yet, the two remain anchored to the culture they\u2019ve instilled since they first teamed up four years ago. It\u2019s a culture that has the Sun sitting at 18-6 as the second-best team in the W with both DeWanna and Alyssa dominating, again. The wedding\u2019s gonna have to wait \u2019til after the Olympics, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the morning of June 11, Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner had never been inside the Connecticut Sun offices. As Alyssa walked down the hallway with DeWanna closely behind, the four-time All-Star peered through the frosted glass of the room to her right. She instantly dropped her head to the side as the emotions began to build. A familiar figure stood in the room, Connecticut Sun president and USA Basketball\u2019s Women\u2019s National Team Committee Chair Jen Rizzotti. In her hands were Alyssa\u2019s deep red, white and blue USA Basketball threads, honoring her with a spot on the 2024 US Women\u2019s Olympic team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHonestly, they told me I had a meeting,\u201d Alyssa says. \u201cI turned the corner and I see her [Jen] through the glass and my heart kind of just dropped that it\u2019s finally happening. I\u2019m probably the second-oldest on the team at 32, and I\u2019m getting my first opportunity to be on a team like this\u2014it meant a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the video posted to USA Basketball\u2019s Instagram, the loudest voice in the room is DeWanna\u2019s, cheering and clapping for her person with pride. \u201cIt\u2019s funny because I think I was more anxious than her during that waiting process. I\u2019m just like, When is it going to happen?<\/em>\u201d she says. \u201cSo for me, I\u2019m just so proud of her, I\u2019m so happy for her. It\u2019s something that she really, really worked hard for, like she said, at 32. Yeah, we\u2019ll be in Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Throughout her 11-year career in the WNBA, Alyssa\u2019s offseason timeline has rarely matched up with the Olympics. She prefers to recoup her mental and physical in what little downtime there is between the season ending and the start of her overseas schedule. The 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021 due to Covid) were at one point an option, but the rehab process for a torn Achilles that she suffered in January took priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AT was back on the court nine months later. And when the season wrapped, Cheryl Reeve convinced Alyssa to suit up for her and Team USA in the 2022 FIBA World Cup. Winning Gold has been an inescapable feeling ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just three days before our shoot, the first voting update for the 2024 WNBA All-Star roster was revealed. DeWanna ranked in the top 10. Knowing the festivities this season will see the USA Basketball roster face off against the WNBA All-Stars, the two are already looking forward to playing opposite one another in Phoenix. \u201cOh, I\u2019m gonna whoop her up,\u201d DeWanna chimes in immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not scoring. She\u2019s not getting a bucket,\u201d Alyssa interrupts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShut up,\u201d DeWanna says in a playful tone as Alyssa laughs out loud. \u201cPlease. I don\u2019t care where I am, I don\u2019t care how crazy of a shot it is, I\u2019m going to try and make it. And if I make it, oh, I\u2019ve won a championship. If I make one shot on her, it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt won\u2019t happen,\u201d Alyssa fires back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The back-and-forth is more than just a great sound bite\u2014it\u2019s a peek into their unique dynamic, one filled with love, teasing and a very, very healthy amount of competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe almost had the opportunity to do that overseas, but I got hurt, which I was happy about,\u201d DeWanna says about playing against each other. \u201cI was a little nervous playing against her, because Alyssa is a little rough and I\u2019m not. But in this environment, where it\u2019s not too much on the line, it can be friendly. But I promise you,\u201d she says looking right at AT, \u201cI\u2019m trying to bust you up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not friendly at all. It\u2019s all business,\u201d Alyssa replies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past five seasons, it\u2019s been just that: straight business. After DB was traded from the Phoenix Mercury\u2014where she won two championships and was a three-time Sixth Woman of the Year\u2014to the Sun, the two quickly formed one of the most dominant duos in the history of the W.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under their purview, sustained success has become routine out in Uncasville, CT. Numbers 24 and 25 have led the Sun to four straight semifinal appearances plus a trip to the 2022 Finals. They\u2019re insurmountable in high-low actions, transition and half-court defensive schemes. In the midst, a list of collective and individual accolades has been running longer than the Susquehanna River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey really are the heart and soul of this franchise,\u201d head coach Stephanie White told the AP. \u201cYou think about not just what they do on a day-to-day basis, but the consistency with which they\u2019ve done it since they\u2019ve been here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unstoppable doesn\u2019t even begin to describe AT\u2019s game. She\u2019s a point-forward who sets the game to easy mode for everyone while leading the team in assists, rebounds and steals. This season, she\u2019s putting up 11.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and a League-high 7.9 assists a game. And to start the season against the Indiana Fever, she threw down a 13\/13\/10 triple-double. Yeah, last season wasn\u2019t just a one-off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her 15th season, DeWanna has only continued to expand the mastery of her offensive repertoire. The midrange is lit up with hot spots like a Christmas tree for DB. Transition treys stick to the net and post-up fadeaways sing of swishes. She uses her length to snatch steals on the defensive end, plugging up gaps and sending shots into the third row. As of press time, the 6-4 bucket-getter is pouring in a team-high 17.1 points, pulling down 6.3 boards and swiping 1.3 steals a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always say we have to be that much better than other teams. We\u2019re not a super team or anything of that sort, so our margin for error is a lot smaller than other teams,\u201d Alyssa says. \u201cAnd just trying to get everybody to buy into that and understand that there are no off days. There\u2019s no relaxing or taking plays off. We\u2019ve got to go hard for 40 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This season, the two have been clocking in overtime. Alyssa\u2019s already popped off for two triple-doubles and DeWanna\u2019s posted eight 20-pieces. Between Alyssa, DeWanna and two-time All-Star Brionna Jones, the only other constant that resides in Connecticut is change. The past five years have seen a revolving door of coaches, players and front office personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s just the nature of the beast in Connecticut,\u201d Alyssa says. \u201cIt\u2019s not a favorable market for people that like to do the other things, be in the spotlight, things like that. It\u2019s a quiet area, you\u2019ve got to be a different type of player to come there. We don\u2019t have all the bells and whistles that other people do, so it\u2019s really about the basketball for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 2024 campaign has been filled with even more adjustments. DeWanna and Alyssa spent the majority of last season surveying the paint at the 4 and 5. With center Brionna Jones back from a torn Achilles, they\u2019ve dipped back into their typical roles while infusing elements of last year\u2019s success. They\u2019re developing chemistry with the new backcourt pairing of DiJonai Carrington and Tyasha Harris, who have stepped in to the starting guard positions. The newest additions of Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson coming off the pine have been an added piece to juggle, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to say we started over again, but it\u2019s implementing new people and trying to get them to understand the system. But in the same way, reworking it to fit everybody\u2019s style of play and get the best out of everyone,\u201d Alyssa says. \u201cWe\u2019ve had our ups and downs so far, and it\u2019s still a work in progress, but it\u2019s going to come down to us and the coaches coming together and figuring out what is best for this team. That\u2019s why it\u2019s a long season and it\u2019s about playing your best basketball come playoff time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The playoffs are still a bit in the distance, but in June, the Sun were already in midseason form, posting an early 13-1 record and becoming just the seventh team in League history to win 13 of their first 14. All six of those previous squads reached the Finals, and four of them won it all. We\u2019re not saying it\u2019s destiny, but history has a way of repeating itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been right there on the cusp, so now this year, I think we\u2019ve kind of taken the fun out of it a little bit, but we\u2019re trying to get that back,\u201d DeWanna says. \u201cIt\u2019s championship or bust for us. That\u2019s where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As seamless as the highlights look, the couple warns that playing basketball every single day with your partner isn\u2019t as magical as one might think it is. There are angles, reads and passes that Alyssa may see that DeWanna doesn\u2019t, and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a gift and a curse. You\u2019re playing with somebody that\u2019s the best in the world and she\u2019s also your partner, so you get to bounce ideas off of each other, you talk basketball. But also, it\u2019s competitive; we go at it on the court as well,\u201d DeWanna says. \u201cBut I still want to bust her up on that court.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s mostly that she wants to bust me up on the court,\u201d Alyssa responds. \u201cNine times out of ten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTune in! When is the [All-Star] Game? July 20th. Vote me in, \u2019cause tune in,\u201d DeWanna exclaims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDrinks on me the night before,\u201d Alyssa says with a laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SHOP<\/strong> MAG + TEES<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner are so much more than just partners on the court. They\u2019re the epitome of basketball dominance for the Connecticut Sun. DeWanna\u2019s the fifth-highest scorer in the history of the League. Alyssa is the W\u2019s all-time leader in triple-doubles. They each have their jerseys hanging in the arenas of their respective […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":448,"featured_media":809315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65257],"tags":[9476,3034,3127,62525,65258,1863,63726],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-809314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-65257","tag-alyssa-thomas","tag-connecticut-sun","tag-dewanna-bonner","tag-feature-1","tag-slam-251","tag-wnba","tag-wslam"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/448"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809314"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":809366,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809314\/revisions\/809366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809314"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=809314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}