ATLANTA — When it comes to WNBA playoff games, no one has played more than DeWanna Bonner.
The Atlanta Dream forward has appeared in 108 postseason games, the most league history. And yet, Bonner admitted to feeling nervous ahead of the 2026 WNBA Finals, having experienced both the euphoria of hoisting the championship trophy and heartbreak of falling short in five career appearances.
That rings more true more than ever as the Dream face elimination. The Golden State Valkyries have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, which shifts back to Atlanta for Game 6on Thursday, Oct 29 (12:30 p.m. ET, USA/Peacock).
"I've been in the WNBA, what, 17 years? I've only been (to the WNBA Finals) five times, so it just shows you how hard it is to get here,"
Bonner, who won two WNBA championships with the Phoenix Mercury said. "(I came here to) compete for a championship."
But no matter what jitters course through Bonner's 6-foot-4 frame, she remains even-keel. The 39-year-old has brought a new level of poise to the Dream by way of her calming presence. And with their backs against the wall, Bonner's leadership is needed more than ever. So is her production off the bench.
"(My teammates) look at me and they look at my eyes," Bonner said. "I can't show any pressure or any signs of being rattled, because I've been here before."
Bonner brings veteran presence
After recording double-digit points in three consecutive games in the Dream's semifinal sweep of the New York Liberty, Bonner has struggled to get going in the Finals. She was held scoreless in the Dream's Game 5 loss on Monday, shooting 0-of-2 from the field in 14 minutes of play. The Dream's bench was limited to four total points in the loss, a troubling trend that's put more pressure on Atlanta's starting unit.
"We got to be ready. The Finals, it's a different type of consistency," Bonner said. "You got to come out every single game and put your best 40 minutes forward. And I don't feel like we've done that, especially (Game 4). They're hungry for a championship ... And I think we have to understand that (the Valkyries) are going to keep coming harder and harder and harder."
Since joining the Dream in late August after reaching a buyout with the Phoenix Mercury, Bonner has become an important voice in the locker room — often heard before Dream head coach Karl Smesko. As the Dream fight for their playoff lives, Bonner's message to her teammates is simple, but powerful: "Stay together."
"You got to know when to get on (teammates) to pick it up, because you know when you need more and you want more, but at the same time you got to praise them when they're doing great things," Bonner told USA TODAY Sports. "They do the same for me. So just keep telling me to keep being aggressive, keep shooting. So it's kind of like a balance throughout our whole team."
Bonner keeps Dream's emotions in check
Bonner won the title in her first season in the WNBA. Drafted out of Auburn by the Phoenix Mercury with the No. 5 pick in 2009, she won a WNBA championship and the first of three consecutive Sixth Player of the Year nods (2009-11). Bonner recalled being young during her first title run, "riding the wave" of greatness playing with Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter and Penny Taylor.
Her next title came five years later, but she hadn't yet realized just how hard it was to accomplish.
"I remember 2009, the draft was coming and we drafted this skinny kid, really skinny. I mean, the skinniest kid you've ever seen in your life," Taurasi said in August. "In our very first practice, we start doing a shooting drill. And I'm like, 'Who is behind me talking so much? And every single shooting drill we did together from that day on."
Like the 22-year-old rookie that was talking Taurasi's ear off, Bonner is still vocal. But the 39-year-old has wisdom and knowledge shaped by years of experience. Bonner said she now knows how hard it is to be the last team standing after losing in the 2022 and 2025 WNBA Finals with the Connecticut Sun and Phoenix Mercury, respectively.
As Sue Bird put it, "When you are a vet, there is no ignorance, so there is no bliss. You know all of the bad that can happen. You are very aware."
When Angel Reese and Allisha Gray waved goodbye to the crowd after eliminating the Washington Mystics in the first round of the playoffs, Bonner grabbed both of their hands and gently lowered them. After Gray went down with a hand injury in Game 1 of the semifinals vs. the Liberty, Bonner galvanized her teammates with a fiery halftime speech that spurred the Dream's win. (Bonner finished with 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench.)
"One thing about DB, she keeps it real and she keeps us humble," Reese said. "That's what I can say. And you need that in the locker room, especially for myself. This is my first time ever going to the Finals and we were all happy. And then she was like, "'Y'all, I've been to the Finals and got swept before. You can't get too high.'
"You need those tough conversations in the locker room because we aren't satisfied. We want more. And I'm really grateful for (Bonner) for that because she just pushes us to the next, next, next level."
DB GOES DANCIN' WITH 'EM 💃
— USA Sports (@usasports) October 22, 2026
DeWanna Bonner spins around and fades away for the tough bucket 😮💨#WNBAonUSA 🏆 | Valkyries ⚔️ | Dream 💭 pic.twitter.com/zEovM9SUnQ
The Dream is 'a big sisterhood'
After the Mercury were eliminated from playoff contention one year removed from a trip to the WNBA Finals, general manager Nick U’Ren announced the franchise "worked out a buyout agreement that gives (Bonner) the opportunity to chase a title in what could be her final postseason." She landed in Atlanta, less than an hour from her mother, a huge selling point for Bonner.
"I feel like (the Dream) were right there last year. They just needed someone to help give them a little bit of knowledge to get over the hump," said Bonner, who seamlessly meshed with Atlanta's tight knit group. "We talk every day. Off days. When we leave this court later on, we'll probably be talking in the group chat ... it's really like a big sisterhood... I don't know if I ever talked to my teammates this much."
Bonner first suited up for the Dream on Aug. 30 and instantly made an impact. Her arrival kicked off a 10-game win streak that ended with the Dream's loss to Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. With the Dream navigating unfamiliar territory in the franchise' first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013, Bonner reassured her teammates it's a long series. Atlanta responded with two consecutive wins to take a 2-1 lead with the chance to go up 3-1 at home.
Bonner reminded the group to stay locked in and not think too far ahead.
"It's just human nature," Bonner said. "But at the same time, we know it's one game at a time and we don't focus on the outcome of the game. We got to take it one quarter at a time. Win the first four minutes, win the next four minutes and just keep building from that and try to see what we can do at the end of the game, let the results take care of itself."
Is this DeWanna Bonner's last season?
Bonner hasn't allowed her mind to drift to ending her WNBA career with a title. She hasn't announced if this season will be her last, joking she'll "see if I want to get up off the couch and train for another season." But she previously said in the ESPN docuseries "Life in the W" that she would've retired in 2025 if the Mercury had won it all. "You know how they say go out on top," she said.
The Dream must win on Thursday to earn the right to play Game 7 on Saturday in San Francisco. Bonner hasn't had a breakout performance in the Finals yet, averaging 4.4 points off the bench. But she said that won't stop her from shooting her shot.
"I feel like as long as you're shooting the ball confidently and your rhythm and your emotion, it always has a chance to go in," Bonner said. "As long as I'm not second guessing myself or hesitating and just being aggressive when I go up, I'm like, 'All right, that's a good shot.' Make or miss. I tell them all the time as long as we shoot the right shot, it's a good shot."
Her 9-year-old twins, Cali and Demi, will be watching.
"They're like, 'You got this Mom!'" Bonner said. "They always see me in the Finals and I haven't won one yet. So hopefully this is the year that they get to see a winner that'll be pretty cool."
Bonner's legacy is set as a six-time All-Star and two-time All-WNBA selection who ranks second in WNBA history in games played (577), free throws (2,035) and third in points (8,243) and minutes played (17,152). But she will be pivotal in helping write a new chapter in the Dream's legacy as they chase their first title.
"A lot like Angel (Reese), (DeWanna Bonner) brings that energy every single day," Dream guard Naz Hillmon said. "Since she got here, she continues to pour into each and every player. Before coach comes into the huddle, she's always talking... She's not shy to cuss us out when we need it, but she's also there to continue to pour into each and every one of us.
"That's huge when you have another coach on the floor."
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dream in unfamiliar territory chasing a WNBA title. DeWanna Bonner is right at home
