‘It’s kind of surreal:’ Sisters DeWanna Bonner and Erica McCall are embracing life in the WNBA bubble together — and are hoping for a matchup in finals

Growing up, Erica McCall always dreamed of following in the footsteps of her older sister, DeWanna Bonner, in playing in the WNBA and hopefully winning a championship.

But even once McCall made it to the league, she never imagined that one day she and Bonner would both be competing in the WNBA semifinals — and that there’d be a chance they could play each other for a championship.

In a year full of surprises, this has been a pleasant one for the two. Bonner’s Connecticut Sun are one win away from advancing to the finals, while McCall’s Minnesota Lynx will look to overcome a 2-0 series deficit at the hands of the Seattle Storm. The Sun face the Aces in Game 4 Sunday at 1 p.m., while Game 3 for the Storm and Lynx tips at 3 p.m.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Bonner said. “The whole bubble and us being around each other. She grew up in California and I grew up in Alabama, so this is probably the most that we’ve actually been around each other.”

Bonner’s and McCall’s paths to the semifinals were even more unexpected.

Bonner, a two-time WNBA champion during her decade with the Phoenix Mercury, shocked the basketball world by signing with the Sun in February. Meanwhile, McCall, a 2017 draft pick out of Stanford, spent her first three seasons with the Indiana Fever before getting cut in April. She wasn’t even initially headed to the bubble until the Atlanta Dream signed her in mid-July using an emergency medical hardship exception, and she only spent a few weeks with the squad before being waived.

McCall stayed in the bubble as a free agent until the Lynx picked her up a day later. Coincidentally, McCall’s first game with Minnesota was against Bonner and the Sun, and McCall finally earned her first win against her sister since joining the league.

Bonner was McCall’s first call when she got cut by Indiana and then by the Dream and continues to be a source of constant encouragement through the ups and downs of being a professional athlete. Now, after three years with the Fever and 19 regular-season games with the Lynx, McCall is playing in the WNBA postseason for the first time of her pro career.

“I’m so proud to be her sister,” Bonner said. “The way she handled this situation — it’s not even easy being here, so to handle it being on three different teams including Indiana just says a lot about her and her character and how we were raised … going from team to team is not easy, and every coach that I’ve talked to just says how much they love her. It’s just been a huge honor to be her sister.”

“She’s always a person that I want to share my good news with and even my bad news because I know she’s the person that I always look to for inspiration,” McCall said.

McCall, 25, has also watched her older sister thrive this summer with her new team. Bonner, 33, finished the regular season as the league’s third-best scorer at 19.7 points per game and has been a force for the Sun, who bounced back from an 0-5 start to position themselves one win away from the finals.

“She’s just my constant inspiration," McCall said. "Her playing with twins is incredible. Incredible that she just keeps dominating. Each year she keeps getting better and better.”

It’s been a perfect fit off the court for Bonner, too. Bonner says she hasn’t felt this close to a team in years, and McCall has seen her sister get out of her shell in just a few short months with the Sun.

“I think this is the first time where this is DeWanna Bonner’s team," McCall said. “Back in Phoenix it was always Diana [Taurasi]’s team and even when Diana was out, she still kind of had that shadow role. So for her to be able to step up like this in a new role, a new leadership role, and just dominate and be able to create for her teammates, it’s been incredible to witness.”

Now, both sisters are vying for a spot in the finals after their teams' somewhat unexpected postseason runs.

“A lot of people didn’t expect both of us to be here,” McCall said. “Exceeding everyone’s expectations has been fun, especially doing it together.”

Their loved ones may have to deal with torn allegiances should both the Lynx and Sun advance, though right now their father — Greg McCall, who is the women’s basketball coach at California State University Bakersfield — is “on cloud nine,” McCall said. If both Bonner and McCall were to face each other for the title, “I think you’d have to be on the lookout for Greg McCall in the bubble trying to sneak in here," she added.

Regardless of what happens, the sisters are not only thrilled to see the other’s success this summer. With their lives and careers taking them all over the country and the world, they’ve treasured being able to experience so much over the last few months together: playing and living in the WNBA bubble; celebrating their birthdays on Aug. 21 together for the first time in 10 years; and now, their deep playoff runs.

“It’s pretty special," Bonner said. "Hopefully, we both make it to the finals, and that’d be an even better story.”

Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com

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