General
The Indiana Fever introduced DeWanna Bonner as their newest player on Monday. The former Fairfield High School and Auburn star signed with the Fever as a WNBA free agent.
As a six-time All-Star, Bonner comes to Indiana for her 16th season after averaging 15.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals across the past five seasons with the Connecticut Sun.
But her team choice for the 2025 season was considered surprising by some.
“My inbox is like, ‘Are you joking? Are you really coming here?’” Bonner said at her introductory press conference. “They thought it was a prank or something.”
Last season, when the Sun eliminated the Fever in the WNBA playoffs, Bonner exchanged shoves and words with Indiana rookie star Caitlin Clark, whose arrival jolted the league’s popularity.
“I’m glad you asked that question because my inbox has been going crazy about that moment,” Bonner said on Monday when asked how she and Clark would get along as teammates. “But I think it’s just two competitive players that want to win and push their team to get over the finish line. It’s playoffs, so emotions are high, attention is high.
“But I couldn’t be more excited to step on the court with Caitlin. We actually had a great workout this morning. And I think we just feed well off each other, so I’m just here to, hopefully, give my leadership advice. I don’t feel like I need to push her to be any type of player than she is and already is. And I’m just happy to be here. And I hope that I can give her some knowledge to take her game to a different level, so when I retire, she can pass that along to other players.
“Coming to this league is not easy by any means, especially her path. But to see what she’s already done for this league and in this organization is kind of insane. And you don’t see that a lot in rookies. So, hopefully, like I said, I can make her life a little easier. Not just her, the whole team. But, hopefully, she can make my life a little easier.”
After the Sun-Fever series, Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas blasted Indiana fans. And the Olympian wasn’t only a teammate of Bonner’s, they are engaged.
“I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments (like those) from the Indiana Fever fan base,” Thomas said. “It’s unacceptable, honestly, and there’s no place for it. We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media, and there’s no place for it.
“Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial things.”
On Monday, Bonner had nothing but good things to say about Fever fans.
“Just to see all the love and all the support that I’ve gotten from all the Indiana fans, this has been amazing,” Bonner said. “And I’m just honored and blessed to be in this position to even be able to sign to a franchise like this in Year 15. I don’t think people get to even go past three or four years in the league, so still being wanted and still being able to play right now and just coming to a franchise that’s growing in women’s sports.
“And, I mean, look at this. I walked in. I’m like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I don’t know if I’ve ever been in front of this many media people before, so I’m just blessed, and I’m just honored to be here. And, hopefully, I can put out the product that everyone deserves here.”
Clark averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game for Indiana during her rookie season
“You want your teammates to be just as competitive as you are,” Clark said after attending Monday’s press conference, “so I think training camp’s going to be really fun. That’s when you’re competing live. You’re getting after things. Coaches are figuring out what lineups work, what lineups don’t, so I think it’s more so the drive, the pushing your teammates to get better and I think that’s exactly what she speaks to when she talks about her leadership. It’s going to push all of us to get better when you see a vet like that come in here and want to get better every single day in Year 12-plus or whatever they are in their career. That’s inspiring.”
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.
Indiana will tip off its 2025 schedule on May 17 against the Chicago Sky.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.
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