Alyssa Thomas and DeVana Bonner are much more than just partners on the court. They are the epitome of basketball dominance for the Connecticut Sun. DeWanna is the fifth leading scorer in League history. Alyssa is the W’s all-time leader in triple-doubles. They each have their jerseys hanging in their respective alma mater stadiums. They both won the AP Comeback Player of the Year and each held multiple League records. Simply put, they are the best players on one of the W’s best teams year in and year out. And if you couldn’t tell from the diamond rock dancing on Devanna’s finger, they’re engaged, too.
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On a late Monday morning in June, there was an uplifting energy flowing through our office. After driving two and a half hours from Connecticut to New York, all one can feel and hear is the abundance of love and laughter shared by the couple as they pose for their first SLAM cover shoot.
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 their own world. They have competitions while we shoot and have fun with their height difference.
“I love playing with Alyssa. He’s one of the hardest working competitors in the league, so that makes me go even harder,” Devanna says. “Even at my age, I feel like I have a little bit more to give out there because I see him going just as hard.”
They 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 accented with candles and hundreds of roses. They started out as competitors and in some ways they still are. DeWanna was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in 2009. Alyssa was drafted by the New York Liberty and promptly traded to the Connecticut Sun in 2014. Ahead of the 2020 bubble season, the blockbuster trade sent the two down a relationship path as teammates that eventually turned around. among partners.
The past five seasons have been a journey of ups and downs: new teammates, new coaches, new positions, new responsibilities. And yet, both remain anchored to the culture they instilled since first teaming up four years ago. It’s a culture that has the Sun sitting at 18-6 as the W’s second-best team, with DeWanna and Alyssa once again dominating. 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 Connecticut Sun office. As Alyssa walked down the hall, Devanna following close behind, she looked at all the stars four times through the frosted glass of the room to her right. He immediately tossed his head to the side as the emotions began to build up. Standing in the room was a familiar figure: Connecticut Sun President and USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee Chair Jen Rizzotti. In her hands were Alyssa’s deep red, white and blue USA Basketball jerseys, honoring her with a spot on the 2024 US Women’s Olympic Team.
“Honestly, they told me I had a date,” Alyssa says. “I turned the corner and saw her (Jenny) through the glass and my heart just kind of dropped that it finally happened. I’m probably the second oldest in the team at 32 years old, and to get my first chance to be in a team like this, it meant a lot to me.”
In a video posted to USA Basketball’s Instagram, the loudest voice in the room is DeWanna’s, proudly cheering and clapping her persona. “It’s funny because I think I was more anxious than he was during that wait. i’m just like When will it happen?he says. “So for me, I’m just proud of him, I’m so happy for him. It’s something he’s worked really hard for, as he said, at 32 years old. Yes, we will be in Paris.”
During her 11-year WNBA career, Alyssa’s offseason schedule has rarely coincided with the Olympics. He prefers to recover mentally and physically between the end of the season and the start of his overseas schedule. The 2020 Olympics (postponed to 2021 due to Covid) was an option at one point, but the rehab process for the Achilles he injured in January was a priority.
AT returned to the court nine months later. And when the season ended, Sheryl Reeve convinced Alyssa to suit up for her and Team USA at the 2022 FIBA World Cup. Winning gold has been an inevitable feeling ever since.
Just three days before our shoot, the first voting update for the 2024 WNBA All-Star roster was revealed. DeWanna was ranked in the top 10. Knowing this season’s festivities will pit the USA Basketball roster against the WNBA All-Stars, they are already looking forward to playing against each other in Phoenix. “Oh, I’ll complain to him,” Devanna chimes in immediately.
“He doesn’t score goals. “She doesn’t get a bucket,” Alyssa interrupts.
“Shut up,” Devanna says in an amused tone as Alyssa laughs loudly. “Please. I don’t care where I am, I don’t care how crazy the shot is, I’m going to try and make it. And if I make it, oh, I’m a champion. If I take one shot at him, that’s it.”
“It won’t,” Alyssa replies.
Back and forth is more than just a great sound bite. it’s a glimpse into their unique dynamic, filled with love, teasing, and a very, very healthy competitiveness.
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“We almost had a chance to do it overseas, but I got hurt, which I was happy about,” Devanna said of playing against each other. “I was a little nervous playing against her because Alyssa is a little rough and I’m not. But in this environment, where it’s not much, it can be friendly. But I promise you,” he says, looking right at AT, “I’m trying to break you.
“It’s not friendly at all. Everything is business,” Alisa answers.
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 the Sixth Woman of the Year three times, to the Sun, they quickly formed one of the most dominant duos in W history.
Under their authority, sustained success has become commonplace in Uncasville, CT. Nos. 24 and 25 have led the Sun to four straight semifinal appearances, plus a berth in the 2022 finals. They are unbeatable in high-low action, transition and half-court defensive schemes. Moreover, the list of collective and individual awards is longer than the Susquehanna River.
“They really are the heart and soul of this franchise,” head coach Stephanie White told the AP. “You think about not only what they do every day, but the consistency with which they do it since they’ve been here.”
Unstoppable doesn’t even begin to describe AT’s gameplay. He is a point forward who puts the game in easy mode for everyone while leading the team in assists, rebounds and steals. He is averaging 11.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game this season. And he posted a 13/13/10 triple-double to start the season against the Indiana Fever. Yes, last season wasn’t just a one-off.
In his 15th season, DeWanna has only continued to expand his mastery of his offensive repertoire. The middle layer is lit with hotspots like a Christmas tree for DB. Crossing boards stick to the net and fadeaways sing swings from behind. He uses his length to steal steals on the defensive end, closing gaps and sending shots into the third row. As of press time, the 6-4 bucket scorer is scoring a team-high 17.1 points, pulling down 6.3 boards and swiping 1.3 steals a game.
“I always say that we have to be much better than other teams. We’re not a super team or anything like that, so our margin for error is much smaller than other teams,” says Alyssa. “And just trying to get everybody to buy into that and understand that there are no days off. No chance to rest or play. We have to go hard for 40 minutes.”
Both have added this season. Alyssa has already posted two triple-doubles and DeWanna has posted eight 20-pointers. The only other constant between Alyssa, DeWanna and two-time star Brionna Jones, who resides in Connecticut, is change. The past five years have seen a revolving door of coaches, players and front office staff.
“I think that’s the nature of the beast in Connecticut,” Alyssa says. “This is not a favorable market for people who like to do other things, to be in the limelight, things like that. It’s a quiet area, you have to be a different kind of player to come there. We don’t have all the bells and whistles that other people do, so it’s really about basketball for us.”
The 2024 campaign is filled with more adjustments. DeWanna and Alyssa spent most of last season exploring paint in the 4th and 5th. With center Brionna Jones back from a torn Achilles, they are back in their typical roles, injecting elements of last year’s success. They are developing chemistry with the new backcourt pairing of DeJonai Carrington and Tyasha Harris, who have moved into the starting guard positions. Rachel Benham and Moriah Jefferson’s newest additions coming off the pine are also an added piece to the juggling act.
“I don’t want to say we’re starting over, but it’s bringing in new people and trying to get them to understand the system. But equally, reworking it to fit everyone’s playstyle and get the best out of everyone,” says Alyssa. “We’ve had our ups and downs so far and it’s still a work in progress, but it’s going to come down to us and the coaches coming together and figuring out what’s best for this team. That’s why it’s a long season and it’s about playing your best basketball in the playoffs.”
The playoffs are still some way off, but the Sun were already in form in June, posting an early 13-1 record and becoming just the seventh team in League history to win 13 of their first 14. All six. Previous teams have reached the final and four of them have won it all. We’re not saying it’s fate, but history has a way of repeating itself.
“We’ve been right on the edge of that, so now this year, I think we’ve taken the fun out of it a little bit, but we’re trying to bring it back,” Devanna says. “For us, it’s a championship or a bust. That’s where we are.”
As seamless as the milestones may look, the couple cautions that playing basketball with a partner every day isn’t as magical as one might think. There are angles, reads and passes that Alyssa can see that DeWanna can’t, and vice versa.
“It’s like a gift and a curse. You’re playing with someone who’s the best in the world, and he’s also your partner, so you can bounce ideas off each other, talk about basketball. But it is also competitive. we participate in it on the court as well,” says Devanna. “But I still want to catch him in that court.”
“Basically he wants to rob me on the court,” Alyssa replies. “Nine times out of ten”.
Join When is the (All-Star) game? July 20: Vote me to merge!” DeVana exclaims.
“Drinking on me the night before,” Alyssa says with a laugh.
Portraits by Marcus Stevens.
