When NBA legend DeWanna Bonner, now 38 years old and in her 16th WNBA season, signed with the Indiana Fever in the offseason after leaving the Phoenix Suns and was supposed to add the finishing touches to a championship-ready squad led by Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell in the backcourt.
Instead she is leading her former Phoenix Suns team against the Las Vegas Aces who defeated the Indiana Fever in overtime, 107-98 in Game 5 on Tuesday night to advance to the WNBA Finals. You would think Bonner would be on cloud nine after scoring 13 points and grabbing six boards in 26 minutes off the bench to help the Suns to an 86-81 win in a Game 4 clincher against Minnesota in the WNBA semifinals. Clamouring for a chance to win a third WNBA title and thwart A’ja Wilson’s hunt for another ring.
Instead the veteran wing used her postgame conference to lament about the cyberbullying that she has endured this season, especially since leaving Indiana.
“I don’t know if I’ve overcome it yet. It’s been like a whirlwind, but it’s been tough. I’ve been through a lot, especially the cyberbullying,” Bonner told reporters.
Social Media Reacts To DeWanna Boner’s Comments about Cyberbullying
Bonner was criticized across social media for her comments. Some fans thought she could have used the moment to say something positive about the WNBA and the fans and also gain the players more fan support as they go through a collective bargaining negotiation that is as hush hush as sealed government documents.
“It has to be exhausting to constantly act like a victim because you got outplayed by Lexie Hull. This is so crazy man,” said one netizen, who posted a video of Bonner’s press conference, where she was joined by Thomas and Satou Sabally. Sabally is a player representative for the WNBA Players Association and servesandseerves as an active voice in the league’s ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations. She recently called the WNBA’s CBA proposal a “slap in the face”
Indiana Fever Fans Came At DeWanna Bonner For Cyberbullying Comments After Phoenix Advanced To WNBA Finals
Fans accused Bonner of making excuses for being outplayed — first by Lexie Hull in Indiana — and then by some of Minnesota’s key players.
“Embarrasing to them when a white player outplays them. But because someone is white…they have to play the victim for their excuse,” said another race-baiter.
“It hurts to be outplayed by a younger white player for someone like her,” said one netizen.
“Gosh, so many whiners in the WNBA, But not the @fever,” a fan quipped.
“MVP of excuses,” added another.
Some Fans Defend DeWanna Bonner
Another fan comes to Bonner’s defense saying, “Dewanna is the 2nd oldest player in the WNBA and is 8 years older than Lexie. Although Lexie played more minutes, their stats are extremely close. So to say she outplayed her is a stretch,” the fan noted.
Bonner, who went 0-11 on three-pointers and was 5/28 overall in her four games prior, was offered some grace by fans who understood where she was coming from and didn’t make it about race.
“Don’t minimize her experience,” said one fan defending Bonner.
“Pretty sure Dewonna is talking about all the hate she received from her own community when she joined the Fever,” reasoned another netizen.
DeWanna Bonner Asked Out Of Indiana In June
The former Fever forward was reportedly frustrated with her role and requested a trade out of Indiana after just nine games. After the Fever were unable to find a suitable partner, Bonner was released. She entually signed with the Phoenix Mercury and finally revealed her thoughts behind the decision in a recent interview.
“I mean it’s home,” Bonner said. “I know I’m going to get the love, the support. Obviously I know a lot of girls on the team, a lot of ladies on the team. Just excited to be back home, some familiarity around the city and the town. I don’t even know, I just got here like yesterday so everything’s just kind of sinking in. I just wanted to be back home.“
Indiana Fever Fans Roasting Bonner At Every Turn Is To Be Expected: She “Quit” On Team
Sure, Bonner caught some flack from the Indiana Fever fans, and probably wasn’t prepared for the media spotlight that was awaiting her in Indiana. But as one fan noted, that’s what comes with the rising visibility of the game, more fans in the stadiums and on social media. There’s nowhere to hide anymore as a WNBA player. That’s the exchange that occurs when a league starts getting the visibility and attention it has been starving for as one fan mentioned:
“Can you imagine a (male) pro athlete, who receive 10x the attention and online bullies, saying something like this? Everybody would laugh.”
Bonner Should Enjoy The Roses, Focus On Improving For Last Championship Run
This season with the Suns was better than Bonner could have imagined. Along with reuniting with her significant other, Alyssa Thomas, the two-time WNBA champion helped book her team’s ticket to the WNBA finals. How sweet would it be if she was able to meet the Indiana Fever, minus Caitlin Clark. She now has a chance to steal a championship from the team she was supposed to help win one.
In addition to the problem Bonner had with her role, she has also alluded to being frustrated with the entire toxic atmosphere involving Caitlin Clark. And Bonner, a humble oldschool WNBA head, probably wasn’t feeling Clark’s new-age ways. She didn’t like being at the center of a media circus.
DeWanna Bonner Has Illustrious WNBA Career
Bonne is a two-time WNBA champion and one of two players in WNBA history to record at least 6,800 points, 2,800 rebounds, 1,000 assists, 550 steals, and 300 blocks. She is a six-time All-Star and three-time Sixth Woman of the Year. DeWanna Bonner ranks third in WNBA history for regular-season points with 7,807, and eighth in total rebounds with 3,204
Currently, Bonner seems to be in a better place. When speaking with the ESPN broadcast after Sunday’s game, she said, “Coming in midseason, I’m just so happy [Phoenix] accepted me. I love them so very much.”
“I was at a low point in my career, and then they just picked me up and loved me,” Bonner (who spent the first 10 seasons of her WNBA career with the Mercury) added. “I’m just happy to be home and be with this group.”
WNBA In A Transformational Period
With CBA negotiations ongoing, turmoil between the league and its commissioner has hit a boiling point following Napheesa Collier’s exit interview that went viral, in which she blasted commisioner Cathy Engelbert and divulged information about other players that Engelbert supposedly said to her in private conversations. Some outlets are reporting that Collier’s gripping testimony was the final nail in Engelbert’s coffin. Dissing the cash cow Caitlin Clark certainly doesn’t help her cause.
