The WNBA announced the All-Star selections for the 2024 All-Star Game on Tuesday, with Connecticut Sun forward DeWanna Bonner and center Brionna Jones named to Team WNBA.
Bonner and Jones will get their chance to take on fellow Sun, Alyssa Thomas, who will be competing against Team WNBA with the rest of the USA Basketball women’s national team that will compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris later this summer.
The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game takes place on Saturday, July 20 in Phoenix at 8:30 p.m.
When asked after Friday’s loss to the Atlanta Dream about the possibility of playing against Thomas at this year’s All-Star Game, Bonner had only the kindest words for her teammate.
“Yea, I plan to bust her up,” Bonner playfully said on Friday. “If I get on the team, I’m really going to try to bust her up. It’s great competition, I have no pressure, (Thomas) got most of the pressure, it’s Team USA. Of course, I’m rooting for them when I get to Paris but when we step on the court, we’re trying to (win).
Fans cheer on DeWanna Bonner after she becomes the No. 5 on the list of all-time leading scorers in the WNBA. The Connecticut Sun defeated the Indiana Fever, 92-71, during the Sun’s home opener at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on May 14, 2024. Meredith Perri / MassLive
“If I score on her face, I’m coming out because I don’t want to play anymore, I don’t want any get-backs, so definitely a little friendly competition. Hopefully, I make it, it’ll be great for Connecticut, but always I’m trying to bust her up.”
This is Bonner’s sixth All-Star selection, fifth for Thomas and third for Jones. Together, the Sun’s All-Star trio powered the team to a 13-1 start. Despite a slight stumble of late, Connecticut will likely remain among the top contenders in the conference with the form these three are playing in.
In her 15th season, Bonner leads the Sun with 16.2 points per game to go with six rebounds, nearly two assists and a steal per game as well. As for Jones, she has returned to the court and the team seamlessly as the anchor in paint on both ends of the court. She’s averaging nearly 13 points and close to five rebounds per game to go with a steal and a block per game as well.
