It seemed the Indiana Fever fans were counting their days to host the Phoenix Mercury. DeWanna Bonner was the center of it all, as she was the player under fire from the fans. After a nine-game stint with the Fever, she was listed as “out with personal reasons” for a few games. Rumours were already circulating about her falling out with management, but they were confirmed when they signed Aari McDonald while simultaneously releasing Bonner. 

According to reports, she had requested a trade to Mercury, but that was not possible due to financial reasons, so they released her instead. The “fit did not work out,” according to Bonner, but she appreciated “the organization’s willingness to grant her request to move on.” However, the fans continued with their online trolling, and they were furious, calling Bonner a ‘quitter.’

The Fans have long memories, as even after a month of that incident, they gave Bonner a nasty reception when she pulled up to the Gambridge Fieldhouse playing for the Mercury. The ‘boos’ rained down on Bonner when she was introduced into the game, coming off the bench in the first quarter. It continued as she nearly immediately drew a shooting foul, then stepped up to the line to take the shots. Some fans even yelled out “quitter” as Bonner was taking her foul shots, and the boos continued whenever she touched the ball. That message has been consistent online after possibly even more intense.

Indiana Fever Fans Go Off On DeWanna Bonner After Hostile Welcome

The reactions to the boos were pretty mixed. Bonner’s teammate Kahleah Copper called the welcome ‘distasteful’ and ‘unnecessary’. The Mercury coach, Nate Tibbets, said, “That’s how sports work.” Fever forward Aliyah Boston distanced herself from the situation, saying: “That’s got nothing to do with me.” However, the mood among the fans is less mixed as they have continued hammering on Bonner. 

Talking about Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner, one fan wrote, “Both trash and the league will be better when it’s done with their toxic shit.” Bonner is a legend in the league, being the longest tenured player in the league with two WNBA titles, but in the eyes of Fever fans, she requested a trade when the team needed her. After just nine games, she was dissatisfied with her role on the bench and immediately ordered a trade. It was rated as the best young core of the season by ESPN, and she was in a perfect situation to mentor the youngsters and form a formidable team. Instead, she made the situation pretty messy and forced herself out of a promising team. 

Another fan enjoyed the win against Bonner, writing,  “Fever put a Big fat L on Dewanna Bonner’s head.” The game was pretty close until the fourth quarter, but the Fever pulled away and had their third consecutive win. To add further cherry on the cake for Fever fans, Bonner had a disappointing night, scoring just 4 points and one rebound in her 21 minutes. And the supposed wish to play a more critical role, Bonner has now started just one game in Phoenix out of her 6, playing 25.5 minutes per game, which is just 4 minutes more than at Indiana.  

Another brought back the quitter allegations, writing, “Booing a quitter is fair.” When LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers, many fans burned LeBron’s jerseys, trashed him on social media, and publicly labeled him “disloyal,” “cowardly,” and a “traitor.” The level of vitriol was so high that LeBron quickly became the NBA’s biggest villain among many fans and media circles. By comparison, the Indiana Fever fans’ reaction was pretty tame, as they booed Bonner without any other extreme reactions. As analyst Robin Lundberg wrote, “what would be weird is if Fever fans DIDN’T boo DeWanna Bonner.”

Another fan trolled Bonner by writing, “Dewanna, play anymore, Bonner. How’d that revenge game go? Lmao #quittersgonquit” A clever play on her name, De Wanna, which sounds like “don’t wanna,” referring to where she just refused to play after being disappointed with her squad situation, according to reports. However, she had pushed back on those allegations by posting on Instagram with a caption, “A QUITTER!! Nah, never been that!! But when the time comes…Let’s just make sure the apologies are just as loud as the disrespect!! ‘ IN DUE TIME ..DB 👑,” along with several black and white photos of her training. 

Bonner could have handled the situation differently, but ultimately, the outcome was satisfactory for both parties. The fans are right to be feeling betrayed, and Bonner will have to take it like a sport. And she did yesterday, as she had no visible reaction to the game, just going about her business. This was their only away game against the Fever, but Indiana’s two upcoming trips to Phoenix promise to bring the same charged atmosphere, setting the stage for even more intensity the next time these teams face off.