Caitlin Clark highlights DeWanna Bonner’s WNBA legacy amid Atlanta Dream's court 'pay respect' message

The Atlanta Dream will use a special court design when they host Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever for their home opener. The court features a message that states "Pay Some Respect to Women's Sports" in the middle, replacing the traditional team logo.

Ahead of the matchup, Clark was asked by the media which player she would want to pay respect to in the WNBA. After thinking about it, the Fever guard named her veteran teammate, DeWanna Bonner.

Clark cited Bonner's latest career accolade and said that not enough people have been discussing it.

"Honestly, (DeWanna Bonner) moving into third all-time, I don't see people talking about that enough," Clark said. "I don't think people realize how big of a deal that is. It's hard to believe that Tina Charles and (Diana Taurasi) are the only two people in front of her. Two people who have also given a lot to the game."

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Bonner surpassed Tina Thompson in the Fever's season opener against the Chicago Sky on Saturday. Bonner scored seven to take her total of 7,489 career points. She converted on a pair of free throws to put her ahead of Thompson on the all-time scoring list.

Tina Charles, who is directly ahead of Bonner, has 7,739. Diana Taurasi, who retired before this season, finished her career with 10,646.

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Caitlin Clark calls DeWanna Bonner a legend after her career milestone

During their season opener against the Chicago Sky, Caitlin Clark and the Fever were trying to get DeWanna Bonner points. The goal was to help her surpass Tina Thompson on the league's all-time scoring list.

That moment came when Sky forward Michaela Onyenwere fouled Bonner and sent her to the line with 3:13 left in the fourth quarter. Bonner sank both of her free throws, and the Fever fans and her teammates responded with a resounding cheer.

During the postgame press conference, Clark praised Bonner for her career milestone.

"DB is somebody that's a hall-of-famer like a legend," Clark said. "Not only a good basketball player, a great person, a great leader. The strongest voice in her locker room is hers."

Bonner is only 251 points shy of surpassing Tina Charles for the second spot on the list. However, she failed to move closer to that milestone when they faced the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday.

In that game, Bonner failed to score after missing her lone attempt in 16 minutes of action.

About the author

Miguel is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 7 years. A lover of the sport owing to its mental aspect, he has played it throughout high school and college as a power forward and small forward, and has also coached high school and college basketball teams. These experiences have given him a unique perspective on the game, which translates into insightful content.

For Miguel, the San Antonio Spurs, especially during the Tim Duncan era, were the embodiment of team basketball. He respects Gregg Popovich's empathy toward his players and his understanding of the game. The Spurs' titles, Kobe Bryant's poignant "Dear Basketball" tribute, Derrick Rose's remarkable 50-point game with Minnesota and Magic Johnson's remarkable comeback are among Miguel's top basketball moments.

For his articles, he conducts thorough research, cross verifies information with at least three sources, and sometimes sacrifices speed for accuracy. Content simplification and maintaining a neutral view on topics are his strengths.

Miguel follows other sports, particularly the NFL, and when not working he enjoys hobbies like cooking and playing video games.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash