DeWanna Bonner has been playing in the WNBA since Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd were children. As a veteran of the league, Bonner has seen it all, and she knows exactly what Bueckers and Fudd will be dealing with as the latter enters the WNBA this season.
At a media availability during the Phoenix Mercury’s training camp, Bonner gave some unsolicited advice for the UConn duo amidst the speculations on the real score of their romantic relationship. Bonner, who is teammates with her significant other Alyssa Thomas in the WNBA, essentially told Bueckers and Fudd to handle their relationship the best way they know how.
“I just feel like it’s personal preference and whatever that people feel like they need to do in their relationship to keep it going, that’s what they do.”
DeWanna Bonner also advised Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd to distinguish between on-court and off-court endeavors.
“I feel my personal relationship is my personal relationship. AT and I have been doing this for a long time. I feel like we know how to handle things. We handle business when it’s business, and we have our relationship.”
The dynamic between Bueckers and Fudd has been placed under even more intense scrutiny when the Wings’ PR team prevented Fudd from answering a question about their relationship during her introductory press conference.
Bueckers drew even more attention when she posted images of her time together with former UConn teammate Nika Muhl. The 2025 Rookie of the Year has since clarified that Muhl is her “sister” and her “best friend,” someone that she would love to be a “bridesmaid” at her wedding someday.
“I’m a Late Bloomer”: DeWanna Bonner Reflects on Her Longevity in the WNBA
In the same media availability at the Mercury training camp, DeWanna Bonner got candid on her source of motivation as she enters her 17th season in the league.
“I’m always trying to get better. I’m a late bloomer, so I kind of play my best basketball late season…I have nothing to prove, so I just go out there and do the things that kept me in there. I’m just happy to be here.”
After spending a few months with the Indiana Fever last season, Bonner was waived and subsequently signed by Phoenix, the team that she’d spent the first 10 years of her career with. The two-time WNBA champion returned to the Finals last October, but the Mercury ended up getting swept by the Las Vegas Aces.