The Players’ Tribune

Veteran players helped shape DeWanna Bonner’s game, and, now, her leadership is a big part of the Atlanta Dream: “Training camp, 2009. My rookie year. I step on the court for that first workout, look over, and there’s @DianaTaurasi. Just standing right there next to me. Dribbling. Putting up shots. And, I mean…. I’d balled out at Auburn, and played in big games, and scored lots of points in college, and all that. But, yeah, this was…. DIANA TAURASI. It was just, I don’t know … surreal. Immediately after practice gets going, though, my feeling of awe is replaced by something I notice about Diana: She’s the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. She was just going haaaard … in every single drill — sprinting, diving, the whole deal. I’d never seen anything like her level of drive and motivation. And this was the very​ ​first practice of the season. It was awesome to witness, for sure. But at the same time, it was like…. Oh God, am I gonna be able to do this? What have I gotten myself into? Fortunately for me, Diana and the other incredible vets on that Phoenix team — Cappie Pondexter, Penny Taylor, and on and on — weren’t gonna let me fail. They supported me, but also pushed me. So I learned so much, so fast. Starting with that very first practice, they told me what I needed to do, and what I had to focus on, and I pretty much just nodded. It was like, ​If I need to rebound, I’m going to rebound and keep my mouth shut​. Whatever you say. Then, from there, the vets did basically anything they could to motivate me to play my best. And when I say anything…. I mean pretty much whatever they could think of. My favorite example involves … bags. That first year I came to the Mercury, all the vets on our team had these amazing name-brand purses and bags. And then there was … me. I was still walking around with the old black, dusty Jordan Brand knapsack I’d used in college. I stood out like a sore thumb. And I’d hear about it from them, too. It wasn’t a good look. At all. Anyway, at one point, like midway through the season, Diana comes over to me in the locker room. She has an idea — an offer, actually. ‘How about this,’ she says. ‘If you go out and get a double-double tonight, I’ll buy you any bag you want.’ I just kinda laugh.... She wasn’t laughing. ‘Any bag. Literally. Double-double and it’s yours.’ I had no idea if she was serious or not, but I wasn’t gonna risk it. After that conversation, you better believe I went out that night and balled my brains out and got the double-double. And then … I wasn’t sure what to do.... So I basically just did nothing. Like ... Just play it cool, DeWanna. Just be cool. Next morning, my phone buzzes. It’s a text from Diana. ‘U up? Let’s go!’ I respond, and then a few seconds later she gives me a call.... An hour later, I had my first name-brand bag. And a few weeks after that, we were world champions.” playerstribu.ne/DeWanna @DEEBONNER24 | @AtlantaDream | @AuburnWBB