Auburn honors DeWanna Bonner: 'This is my home'

AUBURN, Ala. – With tears in her eyes, DeWanna Bonner pointed to the Neville Arena rafters where a spotlight shined on her No. 24.

“This is my home,” she said. “I grew up here. This is my family atmosphere, this is where I get my love, my joy.”

Auburn honored its all-time scoring leader Sunday before the Tigers defeated Alabama, the fifth player in program history to have her jersey retired, joining Carolyn Jones, Ruthie Bolton, Becky Jackson and Vickie Orr.

“I’m honored and extremely grateful,” Bonner said at halftime after an on-court recognition of Auburn women’s basketball players from the 1970s to the 2020s. “This has been probably one of the best weekends of my life. I bleed orange and blue. Blood, sweat and tears here for four years. It was all worth it for this moment.”  

Other than a quick workout at Neville Arena a few years ago, the jersey retirement extravaganza was Bonner’s first extended visit to the Plains since she led Auburn to the SEC championship and graduated 15 years ago.

“Since the day I graduated and went to the WNBA, I’ve been so busy,” she said. “I drove on campus and I’m like, ‘Where am I?’ It was foreign to me because it’s so amazing; they’ve added so many new things. The love and family atmosphere are still the exact same.”

The jersey retirement on Jan. 21, 2024, culminated DeWanna Bonner Day in the City of Auburn, proclaimed two days earlier by Mayor Ron Anders at the Auburn Athletics Complex in a ceremony attended by women’s basketball coach Johnnie Harris, her staff and student-athletes.

“To get her back her and to make her feel all the love, and all of the love she’s showing us, it’s been special,” Harris said.

Auburn’s all-time leading scorer with 2,162 points, Bonner ranks third in career rebounds with 1,047. She was the 2009 SEC Player of the Year, a two-time All-American and a five-time WNBA All-Star.

The day before Auburn’s 78-65 win over Alabama, Bonner worked out with the Tigers, imparting wisdom and encouragement.

“She was trying to get buckets on them,” Harris said, “but she was also dropping nuggets and loving on them. For them to see that and feel that, she’s a great person. She’s a great Auburn alumna. She loves this school and she lets it be known.”

“I will forever be thankful to them,” Bonner said of Auburn’s 2023-24 women’s basketball team. “They will forever be connected to my journey. They deserve this because there’s no better feeling than beating (Alabama). It’s a once-in-a-lifetime dream to put on that uniform and put that name across your chest.”

A McDonald’s All-American at Fairfield High School in Birmingham, Alabama, Bonner signed with Auburn in 2005 and led the Tigers to an SEC championship as a senior in 2009.  

“It was so fun to see how far we grew the program,” she said. “It was pure joy, something we worked really hard for.”

After playing her first 10 WNBA seasons in Phoenix, winning championships in 2009 and 2014, Bonner has played the past four in Connecticut, making the All-Star team and leading her team in scoring last season.

“I’ve been in my WNBA career 14 years and I’m still learning the game,” she said. “I still have a love for the game and I cannot wait to compete next year.”

Nearly two decades after arriving at Auburn, DeWanna Bonner returned triumphantly. The basketball venue, like much of Auburn’s University’s campus, has changed dramatically. The family feel has not.

“Auburn welcomed me with open arms and will forever be near and dear to my heart,” Bonner said. “It couldn’t have been a better welcome. It’s been so amazing. I don’t want to leave.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer