After ending her short-lived stint with the Indiana Fever, the 37-year-old veteran DeWanna Bonner sent a pointed message with a post on her Instagram page. The star, who was waived by the Fever, seemingly responds to fans calling her a “quitter.”
“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,” she wrote, signing the post with her initials and a crown emoji.
After missing five games with the team due to “personal reasons,” the Fever confirmed the move on Wednesday, just hours after Front Office’s Annie Costabile reported that Bonner did not want to return to play with the Fever. The franchise re-signed guard Aari McDonald.
“I want to sincerely thank the Indiana Fever for the opportunity to be part of the Fever franchise,” Bonner said in a news release. “Despite our shared goals and excitement heading into the season, I felt the fit did not work out and I appreciate the organization’s willingness to grant my request to move on, particularly at this point in my career. I wish the Fever great success as they continue to build around this dynamic group of young players.”
Bonner was expected to lead the young core
Veteran player Bonner was signed by the Fever in February as a sought-after free agent. Indiana hoped she would bring leadership to their young team, but Bonner reportedly felt it was a poor fit from the beginning, according to reports from Costabile and Chloe Peterson.
During her nine games with the Fever, Bonner averaged 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds across 21 minutes per game. Initially a starter in the first three games, she was soon benched in favor of Lexie Hull.
Bonner requested a trade, but her substantial contract and the early stage of the season—just 14 games in—made it difficult to secure a new team. Her $200,000 unprotected contract allowed the Fever to waive her without financial penalty, costing them about $64,000 in cap space for her time on the roster.
Bonner will be placed on waivers for 48 hours, offering teams a chance to claim her contract. If she remains unclaimed, she’ll become an unrestricted free agent and can sign for the prorated veteran minimum. This move enables Indiana to free up cap space to sign McDonald for the prorated veteran minimum of approximately $53,000, supplementing the $6,000 she earned on a previous hardship deal.