Indiana Fever Head Coach Breaks Silence on DeWanna Bonner Split

9, 5, 21, 192! Those aren’t jersey numbers – they’re the milestones and metrics swirling around DeWanna Bonner’s Indiana stint. Nine appearances for Indiana, five straight absences, 21 points in her best outing, 192 minutes on court. Pretty unsettling when you look at it like that, isn’t it? Because when a future Hall of Famer vanishes without a timeline, whispers grow louder than sneakers on hardwood. So what did head coach Stephanie White finally have to say?

White’s recent comment in a press conference felt like a buzzer-beater: succinct, decisive, and heavy with implication. It marked the first time she publicly addressed reports that suggested that Bonner “does not intend to return to the Fever,”. Before? It had been all about giving Bonner the time and support she needed. 

Bonner, out since June 10 for personal reasons, was Indiana’s marquee offseason addition – a 2X champion, the WNBA’s all-time leader in playoff appearances, and a “mama bear” in the locker room. Yet after three starts, she found herself benched, averaging just 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds on 34.5% shooting. Indiana’s net rating cratered to –10.2 with her on the floor, then soared to +15.1 when she sat – numbers that scream mismatch in any playbook.

Then came FOS’ infamous report, claiming that, according to multiple insiders, Bonner is looking to leave the Fever for either Mercury or Phoenix. Then came Alyssa Thomas’ video, where she carefully refused to comment on her girlfriend’s rumored return to the Mercury. To make matters murkier, Bonner’s agent also declined to weigh in. At that point, Stephanie White perhaps knew that she couldn’t keep playing the same game. When asked whether Bonner intends to return to the Fever, she offered a cryptic response: “I haven’t had a lot of conversations with her recently, really focused on the team we have right here.”

Still, is Bonner actually leaving? That is something no one guessed or expected. After all, her value extended beyond box-score metrics. During training camp, Coach White lauded Bonner’s blend of accountability and care: “She understands how to hold you accountable, but she understands how to love on you, too.” And Caitlin Clark, not even ten when Bonner debuted in 2009, called her “the strongest voice in our locker room.” 

Rumors now fill the air like popcorn in the stands: retirement? Trade to Phoenix or Atlanta?

A trade is technically on the table since Bonner’s on a one-year, unprotected $200K deal she signed in February. But it’s a long shot considering that Phoenix has just $88K in cap space, and Atlanta has even less at $24K. Players making Bonner-level money are usually secure, and pulling it off would likely mean bundling multiple contracts just to balance the books. Waiving her? That’s another option, but not a game-changer. Since her contract isn’t protected, the Fever would only owe her what she’s earned so far. Once the season hits its halfway point, though, the full deal becomes guaranteed. So yeah, time’s running out, and the only real benefit for Indiana? Clearing up some cap space.

Coach White and Fever’s handling of Bonner’s absence missed the mark

While whatever Indiana might decide is still up in the air, what’s finalized is critics’ opinion on this matter: Jason Whitlock took to X, saying, “DeWanna Bonner disappeared for personal reasons. WNBA seems a little more casual than men’s professional leagues. Come and go as you please. I’m new to the league. Is this common?”

So, is it actually a fallout and not just personal reasons as we have been told? People’s opinion of the matter only solidified when @RealBrokerNick’s June 23 photo of Bonner’s missing banner at Gainbridge Fieldhouse cemented Costabile’s claim of a Bonner–Fever breakup.

Fans chimed in almost immediately. “Can [the] Fever officially trade her?” asked one X user, while another quipped, “She might’ve just pulled the plug on her season in Indy.” However, this lead, @kenswift on X  to call out White’s upbeat spin on the Bonner situation as disingenuous: “I think it’s a bad message to make your fan base believe a player is going through personal issues, when the issue is they don’t want to be here.” 

Well, as we mentioned earlier, head coach Stephanie White kept insisting there was no drama. “She’s doing well, she’s doing well,” White said on Saturday. “Again, no timeline. I think it’s day-to-day, and for us to make sure that we’re continuing to be supportive of DB in her time away.”

Yet the stat sheet tells its own story: Bonner hasn’t logged more than 27 minutes in a single game and took four shots or fewer in five of her nine appearances. Her 21.3-minute average is the lowest since her rookie year in 2009, when she was still easing off the Phoenix bench. Ironically, the Phoenix Mercury had heavily courted her last offseason, and Minnesota even explored deals involving Bonner’s fiancée, Alyssa Thomas. Instead, DeWanna bet on Indiana, only for the fit to feel “off”.