Former Auburn star DeWanna Bonner tips off her 16th WNBA season on Saturday, but her first season with the Indiana Fever already has featured a career milestone. Bonner is on the cover of the June issue of “Sports Illustrated.”

The WNBA starts its 2025 season on Friday night, and the league’s increased profile has been carried by a new teammate of Bonner’s who is also on the cover – Caitlin Clark.

Clark caused a sensation as a WNBA rookie last season as she carried her popularity as a college player at Iowa to the Fever. She averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 40 games for Indiana as the WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Indiana has upgraded its roster in offseason, including signing Bonner as a free agent, and landed Clark on the SI cover with teammates Bonner, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, each a WNBA All-Star in 2024.

But at the Fever’s media day, Bonner talked like a veteran.

“I don’t know where the pressure comes from because we haven’t proved anything yet,” Bonner said. “Media kind of run with it, honestly, and kind of create the pressure. But for us, I don’t feel like we are the hunted, we are the huntee kind of mentality because, yeah, the roster kind of looks really good on paper, but it’s going to be the work that we put in. And we know that, so I don’t think this team really has pressure. We’re just trying to figure out how we can put it all together to be successful just like every other team in this league.”

Bonner and Clark clashed on the court last season during a WNBA playoff series, when Bonner and the Connecticut Sun eliminated Clark and the Fever.

“Caitlin’s a dynamic player, and she makes everyone around her better,” Bonner said, “so, obviously, being on this side of the ball with her is a lot more fun than guarding her, that’s for sure. She just kind of puts everybody in position. We kind of play off her energy and how smart she is around the ball and just putting people in different places to be successful, so it’s just been really fun getting to know her and getting to know her game. We have a lot of energetic people on our team, so just feeding off her energy and her will to win – she wants to win — and that’s been really fun. And getting to run around with her is definitely better than chasing her around.”

Indiana will tip off its 2025 season against the Chicago Sky at 2 p.m. CDT Saturday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. ABC will televise the game.

Bonner’s first game with the Fever comes after 10 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury and five with the Sun.

“I came from the South, college in Auburn, and then I had to go all the way out to Phoenix,” Bonner said about moving to a new team, “so that was a little different, a little scary. That was the first time that I left home. Thank goodness I had a couple of vets at the time who kind of guided me through it.

“It’s always scary, but just getting to know the plays, getting to know your teammates, the coaches and everything like that kind of helps you navigate. Definitely scary, but I think it’s a lot of fun because you meet new people and it kind of forces you out of your comfort zone a little bit.”

A McDonald’s All-American at Fairfield High School, Bonner played at Auburn from the 2005-06 season through the 2008-09 campaign. She remains the Tigers’ career scoring leader and was the SEC Player of the Year as a senior.

As a six-time WNBA All-Star, Bonner enters the 2025 season ranked third in games, fourth in points and ninth in rebounds on the league’s all-time lists.

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Other players from Alabama high schools and colleges ready to tip off the 2025 WNBA season include:

• Los Angeles Sparks guard Sarah Ashlee Barker (Spain Park, Alabama)
• Las Vegas Aces guard/forward Aaliyah Nye (Alabama)
• New York Liberty guard Jaylyn Sherrod (Ramsay)

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.