Dewanna Bonner returns to phoenix: 'the love and welcome was very much needed'
The 37-year-old wing was focused on her future with Phoenix more than dwelling on the past or what went wrong in Indiana that ended with the team releasing her. She did find the narrative that she was disgruntled to come off the bench amusing after starting the first few games for the Fever. In the opener, she moved into third on the WNBA career scoring list. 'That wasn't ever the issue; that's never been me,' said Bonner, who has won the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year award three times. 'I have no problems coming off the bench. I have never been that player. I don't feel like I have that reputation.'
Phoenix began a five-game road trip in New York on Friday night and lost 89-76. She had nine points. 'DB is a really good addition for us. She can play the two, the three, and four, and maybe even some five depending on different lineups that we'll look at starting here moving forward,' Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said. 'She's won championships. You know, her second game with us, we go on to Golden State, have some injuries, and she goes for 22 and 11. You know, we're not winning that game without her, so she's been a huge pickup for us.'
The Mercury will head to Indiana on Wednesday, and Bonner said she wasn't sure what the reaction will be from the fans. 'I'm just going to go out and do my job,' she said. 'They have every right to go out and do what they want to do; I'm just going to go out and compete with my team.'
It wasn't all bad in Indiana for Bonner, who was only a four-hour drive from her 7-year-old twin daughters who turn eight soon. 'I got to spend more time with them then before,' she said. Bonner hopes to lift the Mercury to another championship. She helped the franchise win two after getting drafted fifth by the team in 2009.
'Getting back to Phoenix after so long, the love and the welcome that I had was very much needed and appreciated,' Bonner said. 'Coming back to people that I know.' The biggest change she has seen in her time away has been in the building that the team plays in. 'I walk into the arena for game day, and I had no idea where I was going, and it was crazy because I was there for 10 years every day,' Bonner said. 'Everything is different, but the fans are still the same, a couple people in the front office are the same.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Nawaz's three-wicket over leads Pakistan to a 14-run win over West Indies
LAUDERHILL: Mohammad Nawaz took three wickets in an over to propel Pakistan to a 14-run win over West Indies in the series-opening Twenty20 cricket international Thursday in Florida. Pakistan was sent in to bat and posted 178 for six, led by Saim Ayub's 57 from 38 deliveries. Debate about that being above or below a par target at this venue was partially answered when West Indies openers Johnson Charles and 18-year-old Jewel Andrew, making his T20 international debut, scored at just over six an over to the halfway point in reply. After conceding 20 runs in his first three overs, left-arm spinner Nawaz dramatically shifted the contest. He started the 12th over with a breakthrough to dismiss Andrew for 35 and end a 72-run opening stand, and he added the wickets of Charles (35) and Gudakesh Motie (0) on the fourth and fifth balls as the West Indies slumped to 75-3. Skipper Shai Hope (2) scooped a full delivery from Ayub into the deep in the next over as West Indies lost four wickets for five runs. Ayub, who was voted player of the match for his half-century and bowling return of 2-20, said the pitch was challenging to play on so it was important to building partnerships and not panic. Some lofty tail-end hitting from Jason Holder, who struck four sixes in his unbeaten, 12-ball 30, and Shamar Joseph, who hit 21 from 12, helped West Indies to 164-7 and made the final margin more respectable. That lopsided contest ended any chance of the West Indies starting the series against Pakistan on a better footing after comprehensive test and T20 series losses to Australia. The Australians wrapped up a historic 8-0 sweep in the Caribbean earlier in the week. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said his team 'started strong and finished even better.' A total of closer than 200 was in range for Pakistan early when Ayub and Fakhar Zaman (28) shared an 81-run second-wicket stand to get the score up to 107 in the 12th over. But Holder trapped Ayub lbw for 57, ending a 38-ball innings that contained five boundaries and two sixes to get the vital breakthrough. Recalled fast bowler Shamar Joseph kept the pressure on Pakistan's batting lineup and returned 3-30 from his four overs. The second and third T20s will be held in Lauderhill on Saturday and Sunday before an ODI series in the Caribbean.
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
Woad's magic missing as Okayama, Takeda lead Women's Open
PORTHCAWL, Wales: England's Lottie Woad endured a frustrating start to the AIG Women's Open as Japan's Eri Okayama and Rio Takeda topped the first-round leaderboard at a sunny Royal Porthcawl on Thursday. An astonishing July, which culminated in Woad winning the Scottish Open in her first event as a professional, had made the 21-year-old favorite for the year's final major. But the former Florida State University player found the going tough on the south Wales coast as she ground out a level-par round of 72 thanks to a birdie at the last. Okayama's five-under 67 gave her the lead before she was joined by Takeda after she birdied the 18th. Japanese players dominated the opening day with Miyu Yamashita at four-under ahead of a large group on three-under that included Chevron Championship winner Mao Saigo, Shiho Kuwaki and Chizato Iwai. Reigning champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand and world No. 1 Nelly Korda, like Woad, failed to take advantage of relatively calm conditions. Ko finished on one over, while American Korda was two-under par. World No. 139 Okayama bogeyed her opening hole but birdied five of the next eight and was rock solid on the way back with another birdie at the 17th moving her ahead. Takeda recovered from a double-bogey seven at the ninth with four birdies on the back nine, putting her joint first. By far the largest galleries assembled just after lunchtime to watch Woad in a group alongside Ko and American Lilia Vu. Despite it being her first major as a professional, Surrey-born Woad's win at the Irish Open and then missing out by one stroke at the Evian Championship just before turning pro meant she arrived in Wales with sky-high expectations. Woad was a cumulative 55-under-par for her last three tournaments and the crowd did not have to wait long for a glimpse of her quality as she rolled in a birdie at the first. A bogey at the third and another at the fifth followed but she then had the crowd cheering as a long putt from the edge of the sixth green disappeared for another birdie. Woad struggled to gain any momentum though and scrambled for a par-five at the ninth. A bogey on the 11th put her one over for the round but she got back to level with a birdie three at the 14th after a majestic approach shot. Another mistake at the par-three 15th cost her shot though before a birdie at the 18th made sure she finished the way she had started.
Arab News
18 hours ago
- Arab News
Reimagining the future of sports with generative AI
Just a few years ago, artificial intelligence in sports felt like a distant dream. Today, it's transforming every aspect of the industry, from fan experiences to team performance. In Saudi Arabia alone, the sports market has grown from $6.4 billion in 2022 to $7.2 billion in 2023, with projections reaching over $22.4 billion by 2030. This rapid growth is reshaping how we play, watch, and understand sports. It's no wonder AI is fueling innovation across the industry. The Saudi Formula One Grand Prix is a celebration of speed, engineering excellence, and as a powerful showcase of how technology and sport are converging. From the roar of the engines on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to the cutting-edge AI tools running behind the scenes, the event revealed how AI's role in motorsports extends well beyond race day. It reflects a broader, long-term shift in the industry, delivering more personalized content, powering predictive insights, and enhancing performance. Our multi-year partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP highlights the pivotal role IBM is playing in this transformation and underscores how technology and professional sports have become inseparable. As part of this partnership, IBM launched a fully redesigned Scuderia Ferrari HP mobile app, featuring an all-new Race Center and Racing Insights built with IBM watsonx. The app delivers a more immersive and personalized fan experience with interactive features such as fan messages, interactive live polls, and race summaries that highlight some of Ferrari's most iconic wins across the decades. For the first time, the app is now fully accessible to Ferrari's global Tifosi in both English and Italian. This is more than just a technological upgrade; it's a bold reimagining of the digital fan experience. Through AI-generated race summaries, post-race insights, dynamic data visualizations, and historical driver and team comparisons powered by large language models on watsonx, including IBM Granite, the app deepens the connection between Tifosi, F1 fans, and the world's most renowned F1 racing team both during and outside race weekends. Additional features will be rolled out throughout the year 2025 onward. By applying IBM's deep AI and consulting expertise, we're helping clients like Ferrari, and enterprises across sectors, deliver smarter, more engaging experiences on a scale. The future of sports isn't just about speed or intelligence, it's about creating more connected, inclusive, and impactful experiences. Ayman Al-Rashed IBM has long equipped sports organizations with AI-powered tools to elevate performance and deepen fan engagement. As a part of Wimbledon 2025, IBM has partnered with the All England Lawn Tennis Club to create Match Chat, an interactive AI assistant that can answer fans' questions during live singles matches. Built with technologies on watsonx Orchestrate, AI agents, and large language models, such as IBM Granite, Match Chat is trained on the Wimbledon editorial style and the language of tennis. Additionally, IBM has enhanced the 'Likelihood to Win' tool, which generates AI-powered analysis of player statistics, expert opinion and match momentum. The tool leverages IBM technologies including Red Hat Openshift. In golf, IBM's Hole Insights 2.0 tool enhances The Masters experience with real-time shot analysis. The tournament also leverages watsonx Orchestrate to process increasingly granular predictive data and showcase top-tier player performance with unprecedented clarity. Across sports, these collaborations are reshaping how decisions are made, how fans connect, and how teams compete. A 2024 IBM study found that 72 percent of top-performing CEOs believe competitive advantage depends on leading in generative AI. The sports world is no exception. But at IBM, innovation doesn't come at the expense of responsibility. As AI continues to redefine the future of sports, we are committed to ensuring this transformation is not only smart and impactful, but also responsible. In an industry where trust and fairness are paramount, tools like provide transparency, bias detection, and model explainability. They ensure that AI is deployed responsibly, preserving the integrity of sport while enabling progress. We believe the future of sports must balance cutting-edge technology with ethical values preserving the passion, fairness, and human element that make sports so powerful. Saudi Arabia is emerging as a major player in global sports, fueled by its Vision 2030 agenda and over $2 billion invested into its sports infrastructure, talent, and major events. Since 2019, the Kingdom has hosted over 100 elite international events across 40 sports such as F1, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the World Athletics Championships, showing a clear commitment to becoming a premier destination for global sports. With over 75 years of presence in the Kingdom, IBM is proud to support this transformation. We are working closely with local institutions to bring advanced AI solutions into the heart of the growing sports ecosystem, enhancing performance, fan engagement, and operational excellence. At IBM, we believe the future of sports isn't just about speed or intelligence, it's about creating more connected, inclusive, and impactful experiences. And we're proud to help shape that future, both on and off the field. • Ayman Al-Rashed is the regional vice president of IBM
