Fever fans weren't exactly welcoming toward a player who requested an exit after nine games.
Some Indiana Fever fans let DeWanna Bonner have it on Wednesday. Phoenix Mercury star Kahleah Copper returned fire after the game.
The Mercury-Fever game represented Bonner's return to Indiana after a nine-game stint to open the season that ended up going sour. As the 37-year-old veteran checked in off the bench, the Gainbridge Fieldhouse welcomed her back with a not-small amount of jeering.
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Bonner appeared to have no reaction to the boos, but her teammate and fiancée Alyssa Thomas was later seen yelling at some people in the crowd.
DeWanna Bonner checks in to the game to a chorus of boos from the Indiana Fever crowd. #WNBA@sportscronkitepic.twitter.com/J2lu50JbpX
— Dorian Waller (@dorianwaller02) July 30, 2025
Despite continuing to miss Caitlin Clark, the Fever defeated the Mercury 107-101. Thomas led all scorers with 32 points plus 15 rebounds and seven assists (with eight turnovers), while Aari McDonald paced the Fever with 27 points. Bonner finished the night with four points on 1-of-4 shooting and one rebound in 21 minutes.
Copper aired out her own frustrations to reporters in her postgame conference, via the Indy Star:
"I just don't understand. Like, she's a legend. All the things she's done for the league, and just then the disrespect, I just can't get down with it. They booed her. She didn't say a word to the crowd. People talked some trash to her, but we had her back.
"It's just very distasteful what their fan base is doing when it comes to DB. She is just the sweetest soul. The situation didn't work for her. It just wasn't what she wanted or whatever, but we don't need all of that. It's just unnecessary."
One person who appeared to have less of a problem with the booing was Bonner's coach Nate Tibbetts, via the Star:
"I didn't see that, (but) I would guess so. AT is a competitive player. Just like their players talk to their fans, our players are going to do the same," Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said.
"I thought (Bonner) handled it fine," he continued. "That's how sports work, you go to a former home of yours when you don't leave on your terms and typically fans aren't going to be happy. That's what they did tonight."
Bonner began the season as one of the Fever's big additions to its Clark-led core, and it seemed to be a classic veteran addition to balance out a young team. Her tenure began nicely enough, but Bonner was moved to a role off the bench after three games and was ruled out after nine due to "personal reasons."
She never played a game for the Fever again, eventually getting released after Indiana failed to find a trade partner. When asked about how it all worked out last weekend, she said she had no regrets.
Category: General Sports
