Bonner, Taurasi have a longstanding friendship; Connecticut wins final home game before Olympic break 96-69

Jul. 14—MOHEGAN — DeWanna Bonner and Diana Taurasi share a passion and love for the game as well as a close friendship.

Former WNBA teammates, they also share a mutual respect for each other and what they’ve accomplished during their long and distinguished playing careers.

On Sunday, the WNBA’s two active leaders in career games played — Bonner of the Connecticut Sun played in her 485th game and Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury in her 549th — met once again on the Mohegan Sun Arena court.

“We love each other,” Taurasi said. “I have so much respect for her as a mom, as a teammate, as a friend. It goes beyond basketball. We won two championships together. Some of the best moments of my career came with her on the court.

“I have nothing but love and admiration for DB. And that sometimes doesn’t always happen when you get traded and things happen in this business. But, when you have that strong bond with people, none of that really matters.”

Sunday may be one of the last times that Bonner and Taurasi will compete against one another.

In her 20th season, Taurasi, 42, is nearing the end of her playing career. Bonner, 36, is in her 15th season.

Bonner, the fifth overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft, started out with the Mercury where she spent 10 seasons playing alongside Taurasi, who already was an established star. Bonner signed a free agent contract with the Sun in 2020.

“She’s great and I learned from her,” Bonner said. “I was lucky to have her as my teammate the first 10 years of my career. She’s the best in the league. To have a model like that, I know what it takes to win and what type of player it takes to stay in this league.

“I just have the blueprint, so I was lucky.”

The two shared a hug before Sunday’s game began.

Bonner helped the Sun soundly defeat the injury-plagued Mercury 96-69 in Connecticut’s final home game before the Olympic break, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.

After missing action with a lower left leg injury, Taurasi returned to the lineup Sunday, contributing six points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of action. The Mercury dipped to 12-12.

They’ll see each other again at the WNBA All-Star game on Saturday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. It will be Bonner’s sixth All-Star appearance. Taurasi, an 11-time All-Star, will play against the WNBA All-Stars as a member of the U.S. National Team, getting ready to head to the Olympic Games in Paris.

Phoenix is a special place for Bonner.

“That’s a home for me,” Bonner said. “I was there for 10 years. That’s where I grew up and learned the most about myself. So I’m super excited about that. I’m super excited to see the fans and be there again and spend a couple of days there.”

Taurasi added to her legendary status by earning a spot on the Olympic Team for a record sixth time. She’ll attempt to become a record-setting six-time basketball gold medalist in Paris, breaking a tie with Sue Bird.

“It’s an honor to play for your country,” Taurasi said. “You should never take it for granted, whether it’s your first one or sixth one. I’ve always said if I’m willing and able and I can still bring something to the team, I’m always going to put that jersey on. This is just another challenge for us when we get to Paris.”

Making the trip back to Connecticut was on her mind entering the weekend and playing just down the road from where she had a stellar UConn basketball career.

On the bus ride from the airport to Mohegan Sun Arena, Taurasi gave her Phoenix teammates a history lesson on UConn being “the Mecca of basketball.”

Whether Taurasi played in Connecticut for the final time in her career on Sunday is a decision she’ll make sometime down the road.

She’s staying focused on doing what she loves and that’s playing basketball.

“I love everything about it,” Taurasi said. “It’s all I’ve known since I was 5. I’m not going to make a rash decision on when to give it all up. That’s going to be something very personal to me and my family.”

Bonner is enjoying another terrific season, leading the team in scoring at 17.1 points per game.

With Bonner’s steady contribution, the Sun own an 18-5 record with just one game remaining — Wednesday at New York — before the break.

“We’re doing pretty well,” Bonner said. “We learned a lot about ourselves. I think this break is coming at a great time. You can go back and reevaluate and see what it takes to get over the hump. The second part of the season is the most important part.”

Bonner is looking forward to some time off.

“I’m an old lady,” Bonner said. “I’m going to rest and enjoy my kids. I’m going to enjoy Alyssa in Paris and I’ll come back recharged and refocused. But I’m definitely going to take some time to rest a little bit.”

Sun teammate Alyssa Thomas, Bonner’s fiancee, was one of four U.S. Olympians on the court on Sunday. Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner and Taurasi also are on the U.S. Team.

News and notes

Rachel Banham tied a franchise record and set a career best by sinking eight 3-pointers on Sunday. She finished with a season-high 24 points. DiJonai Carrington had her first double-double, chipping in 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. … The Sun set a season high for points (96), made field goals (37), assists (26) and bench points (37). … The Mercury recently announced that two courts in the team’s new practice facility will be named after Taurasi, who’s spent her entire WNBA career with Phoenix after being selected No. 1 in the 2004 draft. “It’s really humbling, it really is,” she said.

g.keefe@theday.com