Auburn Professional Athletes

DeWanna Bonner Is Running the Atlanta Dream's Playoff Room

Auburn's DeWanna Bonner had a week that covered all the bases: playoff production, a new agency deal, and one viral moment of veteran leadership that broke the internet.

The Series Sweep

The Atlanta Dream dispatched the Washington Mystics in two games, and Bonner was central to the run. In Game 1 on Sunday, September 27, she poured in 13 points, grabbed four rebounds, added two assists, two steals, and a block in a 92–77 Atlanta win. The stat line told part of the story — a highlight-reel connection with Angel Reese in the third quarter told the rest. Bonner's pass to Reese set up a three-point play that showcased yet another dimension of what Atlanta can do offensively when veterans and stars find each other in rhythm.

Game 2 on Wednesday, September 30 was more workmanlike — Bonner finished with 7 points and 2 rebounds in a 93–75 clincher — but the Dream's emphatic series win was the headline. Atlanta is now into the WNBA Semifinals.

The Off-Court Move

At the height of the playoff run, Bonner also announced she's signing with Range Sports as her new representation agency. The timing is notable: closing out a playoff series, then making a business move while the spotlight is brightest. It signals that Bonner — a late-season addition to the Dream's roster, brought in partly to address frontcourt depth after Brionna Jones went down with an injury — has leverage and momentum heading into the offseason.

Rhyne Howard's personal outreach to Bonner was reportedly part of what sparked the veteran's decision to join Atlanta in the first place. That dynamic, a young star recruiting a seasoned presence, has paid off exactly as hoped.

The Viral Moment

And then there was the video. After the Dream sealed the sweep, Angel Reese and Allisha Gray were caught on camera taunting the Mystics — until Bonner stepped in and shut it down. Social media lost it. "DeWanna Bonner really the mom." "Angel Reese looking guilty." The clips circulated widely, and for good reason: Bonner's instinct to immediately redirect her younger teammates said everything about what she brings beyond box scores.

It's the kind of intangible that's hard to quantify but easy to see. The Dream didn't just add a frontcourt piece when they signed Bonner — they added a professional standard-bearer.

With the Semifinals ahead, Auburn's veteran representative in the WNBA playoffs is making noise in every sense of the word.

Auburn in the WNBA: Week of Sept. 20–26

DeWanna Bonner is playing like someone who knows exactly what's at stake.

The Auburn alumna delivered 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the Atlanta Dream's 95-84 victory over the New York Liberty on Monday, Sept. 22 — a performance that helped nudge Atlanta closer to one of the most coveted prizes in WNBA positioning: a top-four playoff seed and the home-court advantage that comes with it.

Bonner's +8 plus-minus told the real story. She wasn't just accumulating numbers — she was on the floor when Atlanta was winning the game. The Dream improved to 29-14 on the night, and the math heading into the final stretch of the regular season became simple: beat New York again on Wednesday, or get a little help with an Indiana loss, and Atlanta clinches home-court in the opening playoff round.

The Dream got that second look at the Liberty on Thursday, Sept. 25, and Bonner contributed again — 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in an 83-65 Atlanta win. A quieter scoring night, but the result was the same: another Dream victory, another step toward locking up that top-four spot.

Jordin Canada (19 pts) and Angel Reese (18 pts, 10 reb) drew the bigger headlines in the Tuesday win, and rightfully so. But Bonner's role as a veteran forward who can stretch defenses and exploit mismatches remains central to how Atlanta operates in the clutch. The Dream's run isn't happening without her.

Aicha Coulibaly, the other Auburn alumna active in the WNBA this season, is rostered with the Chicago Sky but did not appear in relevant source material during this stretch.

With the regular season winding down, Bonner finds herself in a familiar position — relevant, productive, and chasing hardware. For Auburn fans, that's a very comfortable place to be.