Connecticut Sun’s DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas are teammates, and engaged. Here’s their love story.

DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas are ultracompetitive with one another throughout a recreation of one-on-one. But the WNBA stars sometimes work collectively, on the courtroom and at dwelling.

The two Connecticut Sun gamers are engaged, turning into an influence couple of the WNBA. Before they have been a pair, they performed in opposition to one another when Bonner was on the Phoenix Mercury.

“We knew each other from the WNBA, we played USA Basketball together. And — OK, she says I stalked her Instagram. But I don’t call it stalking,” Bonner informed CBS News, laughing. “First of all, I didn’t know people can see you watching their stories if you’re not friends. Let’s just start there.” 

After assembly on-line, the pair lastly talked in actual life. Bonner came visiting to the Sun in 2020, a yr that had athletes dwelling in so-called bubbles, sequestered so that they did not catch COVID.

“You know, being in the bubble, we had nothing to do,” mentioned Bonner. “We couldn’t leave, it was just in the hotel room all day every day, around the same person. So if you can do that, and spend that time with somebody and really enjoy it, I felt like, ‘OK, this could really be my person.'”

They went from pals, to teammates, to partners — which they are saying has positives and negatives. “Go ahead,” Thomas mentioned to her companion, joking. “It’s you, you have the negatives.” 

“We’re around each other all the time,” Bonner lastly conceded, “You know, usually when you go to work and you tell your spouse about your job … But she already knows what happened, so I have nothing to share.”

The positives: “I think we balance each other. Alyssa is a little more reserved, I’m like the wild one,” Bonner mentioned, including that she nonetheless will get anxious earlier than video games, and Thomas helps calm her nerves.

Thomas’ favourite factor about Bonner, a mom of two: “I think about how caring she is and her personality. She takes care of everyone and puts everyone before herself and that’s a great quality about her.”

Thomas determined to pop the query after they performed collectively throughout final yr’s WNBA All Star recreation in Las Vegas. “I thought it was a moment where our families could share in it as well,” mentioned Thomas. “Also, I had to keep her on her toes. She’s a hard person to surprise.” 

The pair stored their relationship principally a secret from their teammates, however after their engagement, there was no hiding it. “[They call us] the parents,” mentioned Thomas, who’s 32.

“They call us mom and dad of the team, because we’re the oldest,” mentioned Bonner, 36, laughing. “No, but our team is amazing. This group is really, really close and it’s been really fun. And our locker room has just been really accepting of us and hopped on the bandwagon of our relationship and our goals.”

Some of their objectives embody profitable the WNBA championship this yr. The Sun had a profitable streak earlier this season and is likely one of the prime groups within the league. 

Last month, Bonner reached a private purpose – turning into the fifth participant in WNBA historical past to succeed in 7,000 factors. And Thomas made the Team USA Women’s Basketball Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Bonner says she plans to attend all of Thomas’ video games in Paris, and her different purpose for Thomas is to win MVP of the league or WNBA finals. 

Their wedding ceremony plans are on maintain for a bit till after the Olympics. And earlier than they head down the aisle, Bonner hopes to go head-to-head on the courtroom.

“We have the opportunity, if I make All Stars to actually play against each other, because she’s on Team USA and then if I make All Stars, the All Stars are playing Team USA,” she mentioned. “I’m just gonna shoot it and hope it goes in, because once it goes in, I’m never going to stop talking trash.”

During a recreation of one-on-one after the interview on the Mohegan Sun Arena, it was clear how critical Bonner was about beating Thomas. “If I make it in, I’m going crazy,” she mentioned earlier than sinking a basket, her cheering echoing via the almost empty stadium.

“If I make [the All Star Team], she’s buying dinner, drinks, I’m getting spending money in Paris, all of it if I win,” Bonner laughed. 

The two professional athletes admitted to being extremely aggressive in opposition to one another. “I try to beat her at everything – I don’t care if it’s popping some popcorn, I’m trying to have the best popcorn ever,” Bonner mentioned. 

“She usually loses though,” Thomas joked.

Their aggressive spirit has helped the athletes excel in their careers. Their message to ladies wanting as much as them: “People try to tear you down and tell you you can’t do something,” Thomas mentioned. “But you don’t know unless you go out there and try.”

“Don’t let anybody change you. Don’t let anybody stop you from being you. Because there’s only one you, might as well just show it to the world,” Bonner mentioned.