BOSTON — DeWanna Bonner has been in the WNBA since 2009. Tuesday night she was allowed to play at TD Garden.

The guard, who was traded to the Connecticut Sun in 2020, has dominated at every level and has been a key part of her team’s success. Bonner represented the women’s game before it was popular, and now she’s getting her flowers.

The Sun defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 69-61 on Tuesday in the first-ever WNBA game at TD Garden. And best of all, the stadium was sold out with 19,156 spectators.

“She’s been here for 15 years. She’s really seen the growth and the evolution,” Suns assistant general manager Morgan Tuck said Saturday. “To see the attention she’s getting now and the publicity she’s earned over the last 15 years means a lot to me.”

Bonner is a six-time All-Star and two-time WNBA champion, but the prestige of her game – and that of the women around her – hasn’t always been celebrated like it was Tuesday in Boston. As she stepped onto the court at TD Garden, Bonner was reminded of how she and the league got to this point.

“Going to different arenas and having hardly any fans, to being able to sell out the Garden, one of the most historic arenas in the world. We get to play here,” Bonner said. “Many of us Sun players have been here a long time. Just seeing where this organization has come – to get to this point in this arena at this time is very special.”

Since signing players like Marina Mabrey, Suns head coach Stephanie White has been experimenting with her lineup. On Tuesday, that meant taking Bonner out of the starting lineup. It was the veteran’s decision.

“She came and talked to us and said, ‘Listen, I don’t mind coming off the bench. I just want to win. I want to figure out what our best lineup is, our best rotation. I’m going to be ready to go no matter what,'” White said Tuesday. “That’s leadership. That’s sacrifice. That’s putting the team above everything else.”

Bonner finished the night with seven points, two rebounds and two assists. No matter what her role in the rotation looks like going forward — White said she’s still honing it — Bonner’s experience will be a driving force as Connecticut looks to win its first league title in franchise history in September. And her hard work in the league is finally being recognized.

“(The WNBA) has been going through a rough patch,” Bonner said. “I’m just happy to be here with my teammates and experiencing this with them.”