Fever General Manager Sends Clear Message After DeWanna Bonner Departure

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rodney Knuppel | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 12:14 PM ET

DeWanna Bonner has played 511 games in her WNBA career. Her resume is impressive, but her time with the Indiana Fever came to an end earlier this week after just nine games.

Bonner, who missed several games due to “personal reasons,” was released after nine appearances as a teammate of Caitlin Clark.

In those nine games, Bonner averaged 7.1 points in 21.3 minutes per game.

On Thursday, Fever general manager Amber Cox addressed the media. While much of the attention was on Clark, Cox was also asked about Bonner and explained the situation surrounding her release.

“I think as we were going through the process, it felt better for her to step away as we were sorting through what it was going to look like … it wasn’t a decision any of us made lightly.”

Amber Cox on the Fever parting ways with DeWanna Bonner:

“I think as we were going through the process, it felt better for her to step away as we were sorting through what it was going to look like … it wasn’t a decision any of us made lightly.” pic.twitter.com/MDE0sqN1VU
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 26, 2025

Cox made it clear the parting wasn’t contentious and shared high praise for the 37-year-old veteran.

“DeWanna is obviously a Hall of Famer, a future Hall of Famer and one of the best to ever play our game,” Cox said. “We were really excited when she decided to come here in the offseason. But once we got into the season, she expressed that it just didn’t feel like the right fit for her. We talked through it, but couldn’t get it to a place where it felt good for her.”

Taking Bonner’s spot on the active roster is Aari McDonald. The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft spent time with both the Atlanta Dream and Los Angeles Sparks. She was named to the 2021 WNBA All-Rookie Team.

McDonald initially joined the Fever on June 2 under an emergency hardship exception but was released on June 13. During her three games this season, she averaged 11 points in 25.3 minutes per game.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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