DeWanna Bonner’s whole exit from the Indiana Fever turned into one of the most dramatic moments of the 2025 season. When she reportedly asked to leave mid-season and ended up joining the Phoenix Mercury, the reaction wasn’t exactly warm. The next time she stepped foot inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the hate was loud. Like, can-hear-it-from-space loud. But it seems like Natasha Howard clearly isn’t holding on to any hard feelings. In fact, she’s got nothing but love and respect for her fellow vet.

On Tuesday, Bonner shared a few pictures on Instagram, rocking her Mercury jersey with pride. And alongside the photos, she got real about everything she’s been through this season. 

“This year tested me, stretched me, and reminded me what it means to stand tall as a woman, an athlete, and a force in my own right. I kept my faith first, loved hard, stayed grounded in my craft, and kept showing up even when it wasn’t easy,” she wrote. That post drew a very sweet reaction from Howard. 

“DB I’ve always looked up to you and admire you as a person and player! I’m so proud of you! You’ve set records I pray I get to see in my career. Thank you for always pouring in me on and off the court. Keep being the bright light you are ♥️ tash,” the Indiana vet wrote. But this wasn’t surprising at all. Tash and DB may have played just nine games together as teammates, but their bond goes way back.

Both are veterans of this league and have shared the court before at an All-Star Game. Even when Bonner first shared photos of herself (one in her Mercury uniform and another dressed up off the court back in July), Howard was quick to jump in with a sweet comment: “Mixing Business with Pretty 💕.” Moreover, this time, she wasn’t the sole Fever, expressing their love.

Bree Hall, who wasn’t even part of the team when Bonner was on the team, chimed in with, “Proud of you DB ❤️! Miss you! 🥹.” Odyssey Sims, another Fever player who joined after Bonner’s departure, poured her heart out too: “You been HER and will always be HER! Best vet/teammate ever! Always proud of you, us mothers never stop🥰🫶🏽 love you!❤️.” 2025 rookie Makayla Timpson added, “my dawg, love you🫶🏽.”

Seeing all this support, it’s hard not to appreciate how much Bonner still means to her former teammates. Despite everything that went down, there’s clearly no bad blood left among most of the roster. Maybe just some lingering confusion about her abrupt exit. 

Lexie Hull’s honest take on DeWanna Bonner’s sudden exit

The Indiana Fever’s 2025 season was supposed to be their year. With Caitlin Clark leading the charge and a roster stacked with talent, this was meant to be a championship-contending squad. Instead, it became a season full of heartbreak and resilience. Five players suffered season-ending injuries, including Clark herself, leaving the team to constantly rebuild its rhythm. 

Obviously, that affected how most felt about DB’s departure, but for the players, it wasn’t so much frustration as it was confusion…a genuine sense of why? In a new interview with Glamour, Lexie Hull opened up about that period of uncertainty.

“I was super, super, super excited because finally there’s a [player in my position] that I can look up to that has won in the league and has all these accomplishments and knows what it takes, and I can learn something from her,” Hull said of the two-time WNBA champion. “And then she randomly leaves, and we’re all just kind of like, ‘What happened?’ We were never given an explanation.”

The “why” behind Bonner’s exit may have had less to do with locker-room tension and more with fit. She, sure, moved to the third place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list in her very first game with the Fever, but her early weeks in Indiana were rocky.

Her offense faltered, and she was eventually benched after three games. Hence, by mid-June, Bonner stepped away for what the team called “personal reasons.” Two weeks later, reports of a trade request surfaced, and the Fever officially waived her on June 25.

Still, Hull believes that was a lesson and brought the team closer. “To have no explanation was really challenging, but I think that helped us grow closer together… We’re going to support each other. We’re in this together,” she said. And they proved it. Despite constant lineup changes, 18 players suiting up, and no starting five lasting more than nine games, the Fever fought back, clinching the No. 6 seed. What followed was a stunning playoff run to the semifinals.