Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner Talk Success and Sunshine

Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner are more than just partners on the court. They are the epitome of the Connecticut Sun's basketball dominance. DeWanna is the fifth leading scorer in League history. Alyssa is the W's all-time leader in triple-doubles. Each of them has their own jersey hanging in the fields of their alma mater. Both won AP Comeback Player of the Year and each claimed multiple League records. Quite simply, they are the best players on one of the best teams in the W every year. And if you couldn't tell by the diamond rock dancing on DeWanna's finger, they are also engaged.

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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, one could hear and feel the overflow of love and laughter shared by the couple as they posed for their first ever SLAM cover shoot.

Rocking their orange Explorer Edition uniforms, both Alyssa and DeWanna are fully present in the moment, while creating pockets of time where they fall into the world alone. They hold staring contests while we banter and make fun of their height difference.

“I love playing with Alyssa. “He's one of the hardest working competitors in the league, so it makes me want to work harder,” said DeWanna. “No matter how old I am, I have a lot to give because I see him working hard.

The two have been dating for the past few years, and during the 2023 All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Alyssa proposed to DeWanna under the shade of palm trees lit by candles and hundreds of roses. They started out as competitors and still continue in one form or another. DeWanna wrote for the Phoenix Mercury in 2009. Alyssa wrote for the New York Liberty and soon traded to the Connecticut Sun in 2014. Ahead of the 2020 bubble season, a blockbuster trade sent the two on a relationship path as eventual teammates. to friends.

The past five seasons have been a journey of ups and downs: new teammates, new coaches, new positions, new responsibilities. However, the two are still sticking to the tradition they have been instilled since they first met four years ago. It's tradition that the Sun sits at 18-6 as the runner-up in the W with DeWanna and Alyssa in charge, too. However, the wedding will have to wait until after the Olympics.

Before the morning of June 11, Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner had never been inside the offices of the Connecticut Sun. As Alyssa walked down the hallway with DeWanna close behind, the four-time All-Star peered through the frosted glass of the room to her right. He just dropped his head to the side as the emotions started to build. A familiar figure stood in the room, president of the Connecticut Sun and Chair of the USA Women's National Committee, Jen Rizzotti. In her hands were Alyssa's red, white and blue USA Basketball ribbons, honoring her by making the 2024 US Women's Olympic team.

“To be honest, they told me I had a meeting,” said Alyssa. “I turned the corner and saw him [Jen] I saw it and my heart sank that it was finally happening. I'm probably the second oldest on the team at 32, and getting my first chance to be on a team like this—it meant a lot to me.”

In a video posted on USA Basketball's Instagram, the loudest voice in the room is DeWanna's, cheering and clapping with pride. “It's funny because I think I was more worried than him during the wait. I'm just like, When will it happen?” he says. “So for me, I'm proud of him, I'm very happy for him. It's something he really worked for, as he said, at the age of 32. Yes, we will be in Paris.”

Throughout her 11-year career in the WNBA, Alyssa's off-season timeline rarely coincided with the Olympics. He prefers to recover his mind and body in the little time available between the end of the season and the start of his overseas schedule. The 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021 due to Covid) were once an option, but the process of rehabilitating the torn Achilles he suffered in January took precedence.

AT returned to court after nine months. And when the season wrapped, Cheryl Reeve convinced Alyssa that she was a good fit for Team USA at the 2022 FIBA ​​World Cup. Winning Gold has been an inescapable feeling ever since.

Just three days before our taping, 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 lineup face off against the WNBA All-Stars, both are looking forward to playing against each other in Phoenix. “Oh, I'm going to scold him,” DeWanna said quickly.

“He doesn't score goals. He can't find a bucket,” interrupted Alyssa.

“Shut up,” DeWanna said in a playful tone as Alyssa laughed out loud. “Please. I don't care where I am, I don't care how crazy the shooting is, I'm going to try to beat you. And if I succeed, oh, I win the championship. If I shoot him once, it's over.”

“No way,” Alyssa replied.

Back-and-out is more than just a good sound bite—it's a peek at its unique twist, full of love, teasing and a very healthy amount of competition.

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“We almost had a chance to do that overseas, but I got hurt, which I was happy about,” said DeWanna about playing against each other. “I was a little nervous playing with her, because Alyssa is mean and I'm not. But in this place, where there is not much in line, it can be friendly. But I promise you,” he said looking directly at AT, “I'm trying to get rid of you.”

“It is not friendly at all. It's all business,” Alyssa replied.

For the past five seasons, it's been just that: straight business. After DB was traded from the Phoenix Mercury—where she won two championships and was a three-time Sixth Woman of the Year—to the Suns, the pair formed one of the greatest duos in W history.

Under their vision, continued success has become the norm in Uncasville, CT. Numbers 24 and 25 led the Sun to a direct appearance in the 2022 semifinals and a trip to the 2022 Finals. They cannot be resolved in the lowest actions, changes and protection systems that belong to the court. In between, the collective list of individual honors has run longer than the Susquehanna River.

“They're really the heart and soul of this franchise,” head coach Stephanie White told the AP. “You don't just think about what they do every day, but also the compromises they've made since they've been here.”

Unstoppable doesn't even begin to describe AT's game. He is a point forward who sets up the game in easy mode for everyone while leading the team in assists, rebounds and steals. This season, he is averaging 11.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and a league-high 7.9 assists a game. And to start the season against the Indiana Fever, he knocked down 13/13/10 triples. Of course, last season wasn't just a one-off.

In his 15th season, DeWanna has continued to expand the craft of his offensive game. The midrange shines with hot spots like a DB Christmas tree. Transition treys stick to the net and back fadeaways sing swishes. He uses his length to pick off stealers in the defensive zone, close gaps and send shots to the third line. As of press time, the 6-4 bucket-getter is averaging a team-high 17.1 points, pulling down 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals a game.

“I always say we have to be much better than other teams. We're not a big team or anything like that, so our margin for error is a lot smaller than other teams,” Alyssa said. “And I'm just trying to get everyone to buy into that and understand that there are no days off. No resting or playing games. We have to work hard for 40 minutes.”

This season, the two have been working overtime. Alyssa already went out and got two triples and DeWanna posted eight 20 pieces. Between Alyssa, DeWanna and two-time All-Star Bionna Jones, the only thing left in Connecticut is change. Over the past five years there has been a revolving door of coaches, players and front office staff.

“I think that's kind of a Connecticut monster,” Alyssa said. “It's not a market that favors people who like to do other things, to be transparent, things like that. It's a quiet place, you have to be a different player to get there. We don't have all the bells and whistles that other people have, so it's all about basketball for us.”

The 2024 campaign is filled with more fixes. DeWanna and Alyssa spent most of last season exploring the paint at the 4 and 5. With center Brionna Jones back from a torn Achilles, they have returned to their usual roles while incorporating elements of last year's success. They improve chemistry with the new backcourt pairing of DiJonai Carrington and Tyasha Harris, who have moved into the starting guard spot. The new additions of Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson coming out of the pines have been an added twist, too.

“I don't want to say that we have started again, but we are starting new people and trying to understand the system. But by the same token, retooling it to suit everyone's way of playing and getting the best out of everyone,” said Alyssa. “Until now we have faced bad situations, it is still a work in progress, but it will be up to us and the coaches will meet and see what is best for this team. That's why it's a long season and it's about playing your best basketball during the playoffs.”

The playoffs are still a long way off, but by June, the Suns were already in midseason form, posting an early 13-1 record and becoming the seventh team in League history to win 13 of their first 14 games. previous teams reached the finals, and four of them won all of them. We're not saying it's the end, but history has a way of repeating itself.

“We were right there at the top, so now this year, I think we took the fun out of it a little bit, but we're trying to get that back,” said DeWanna. “It is our champions or an erection. That's where we are.”

As seamless as the highlights seem, the couple cautions that playing basketball every day with your partner isn't as magical as one might think. There are angles, reads and passes that Alyssa can see that DeWanna can't see, and vice versa.

“It's like a gift and a curse. You're playing with the best person in the world and he's your partner, so you get to bounce ideas off each other, talk basketball. But again, it's competitive; we will take it to court,” said DeWanna. “But I still want to expel him from that court.”

“Especially because he wants to throw me out of court,” Alyssa replied. “Nine times out of ten.”

“Listen! When i [All-Star] The game? July 20. Vote for me, because listen,” exclaimed DeWanna.

“I drink the night before,” Alyssa said with a laugh.

Photos by Marcus Stevens.