Stephanie White made her true feelings known.
Fever Coach Stephanie White Does Not Hold Back on DeWanna Bonner After Mercury Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White was hyped after her team took down the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night, 107-101, to mark their third straight win. White was animated during her locker room speech shortly after the final buzzer as she commended her players for a job well done.
Fever Fans Boo DeWanna Bonner
Wednesday’s game featured the return of DeWanna Bonner to Indianapolis for the first time since she facilitated her Fever exit earlier this season. After joining the team as a free agent during the winter, Bonner played just nine games for Indiana before realizing that she wanted out.
The six-time All-Star got her wish after the Fever decided to waive her contract, which led to her reunion with the Mercury earlier this month.
The fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse made their feelings about Bonner abundantly clear on Wednesday night. They welcomed her back by showering her with boos the moment she checked into the game.
DeWanna Bonner checks in, is immediately boo’d by Fever fans. Was part of Indiana for just nine games.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 30, 2025
Her partner, Alyssa Thomas, gestures to fans to keep bringing it. pic.twitter.com/8SNDftPTij
Clearly, there’s no love lost between the Fever faithful and Bonner.
Stephanie White Speaks Out on Bonner
When asked about the way the Fever fans treated Bonner during the game, Coach White decided to plead the fifth. According to the veteran shot-caller, she did not hear the boos from the crowd.
White, though, did not hold back in expressing how much respect and admiration she has for Bonner.
"At the end of the day, basketball is basketball and relationships is relationships," White said during the postgame press conference. "[Bonner] is one of my all-time favorites. She has been from afar for a long time, and then working for her for a number of years, she still is. I care about [Bonner] as a person."
"The business is the business, but the relationship is the most important thing. I'm happy that she found a good landing spot and a special spot where she started her career. I'm happy for her."
White and Bonner Have History
As White said in her postgame comments, she’s long admired Bonner even before they crossed paths. This first came when the Connecticut Sun hired White as their head coach in 2023. White got the chance to coach Bonner for two seasons, with the two-time All-WNBA guard-forward being one of the star players on the Sun roster at that time.
White and Bonner reunited in Indiana after both of them signed with the team during this past offseason. Their reunion turned out to be short-lived, though, with the latter opting to move on to greener pastures.
Be that as it may, White has made it very clear that she has nothing but love for her former player.
Related: "Very Distasteful": Mercury Star Blasts Indiana Fever Fans Over DeWanna Bonner Treatment
Related: Fever Coach Stephanie White Hit With Technical Foul Against Mercury
Related: Sophie Cunningham's Outfit for Fever-Mercury Game Is a Must-See
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
