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Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham addressed the departure of former teammate DeWanna Bonner from the team in a controversial breakup this season.
Bonner stepped away from the team just nine games into the season, citing “personal reasons” while the team tried to trade her. Indiana then released Bonner on June 29, and she returned to the Phoenix Mercury, where she started her career in 2009.
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Indiana Fever forward DeWanna Bonner (25) warms up Tuesday, May 20, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (IMAGN)
Cunningham, who previously played with Bonner for the Mercury in 2009, praised Bonner as a player but also suggested Bonner showed a lack of “professionalism” in her departure.
“I’m still rooting for her. I want her to end her career and be happy, but I also think like, it’s OK to be professional about it. Send a text to your teammates, send a text like, ‘Hey, love you guys,’ or you don’t even have to say, ‘Love you guys.’ Say, ‘Sorry this didn’t work out, good luck…’ There’s a way to handle that, I think,” Cunningha said on an episode of her podcast Tuesday.
Bonner returned to Indianapolis and was booed by the fans. Cunningham said Bonner should have expected boos from Fever fans based on how her departure played out.
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Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) runs back up the court during the game against the Dallas Wings at the American Airlines Center on June 27, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
“I was kind of surprised she signed here in Indiana anyway, so we’ll take her in a heartbeat. She’s a Hall of Famer. She’s a helluva basketball player, can score from anywhere on the court,” Cunningham said.
“She got to Indiana, and she just wasn’t really happy, and I want people to be happy, so that’s why I’m kind of like neutral on this one, which everyone is surprised about. She’s toward the end of her career, like she deserves her flowers, she deserves to be happy. But I also think that if you’re going to leave, you’re going to have to expect getting booed.”
The boos didn’t sit right with Mercury star Kahleah Copper. The four-time All-Star and WNBA champion thought Bonner handled the boos well, but she didn’t understand why the jeers happened in the first place.
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DeWanna Bonner Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull of the Indiana Fever smile during the game against the Brazil Women’s National Basketball Team during the WNBA preseason game on May 4, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
“I just don’t understand. Like, she’s a legend. All the things she’s done for the league, and just then the disrespect, I just can’t get down with it. They booed her. She didn’t say a word to the crowd. People talked some trash to her, but we had her back,” Copper said, via the Indy Star.
“It’s just very distasteful what their fan base is doing when it comes to DB. She is just the sweetest soul. The situation didn’t work for her. It just wasn’t what she wanted or whatever, but we don’t need all of that. It’s just unnecessary.”
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