DeWanna Bonner Breaks Silence On Fallout With Indiana Fever

Originally posted on The Spun | By Daniel Bates | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 2:18 PM ET

This week saw the Indiana Fever part ways with two-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner on Wednesday following a mysterious absence from the team for the past five games.

According to reports, Bonner was bothered by her failure to find a role on Indiana's roster and it led to her eventual release after the Fever were unable to find a suitable trade partner. Instead Indiana has decided to go in a different direction by signing former guard Aari McDonald — ending Bonner's Fever tenure at nine games.

Now per women's basketball writer Sara Jane Gamelli, the 37-year-old All-Star has released a statement on her departure from the franchise.

“I want to sincerely thank the Indiana Fever for the opportunity to be part of the Fever franchise. Despite our shared goals and excitement heading into the season, I felt the fit did not work out and I appreciate the organization's willingness to grant my request to move on, particularly at this point in my career," Bonner said. "I wish the Fever great success as they continue to build around this dynamic group of young players."

The Fever signed Bonner to a one-year, $200,000 contract this offseason to much fanfare. However, it never really panned out like either side thought it would.

Bonner is the third-leading scorer in WNBA history after 16 professional seasons and numerous accolades including a pair of All-WNBA teams, three Sixth Woman of the Year Awards and the aforementioned championships.

It'll be interesting to see where Bonner ends up signing next as she can still defend and provide a team buckets even at this advanced stage of her career. Teams will have 48 hours to claim DeWanna off waivers and will need at least $200K in cap space to do so.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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