INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever will play the Phoenix Mercury for the first time in the 2025 season Wednesday, marking a reunion for many players and coaches.
First, it will be Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s first game against the team where she spent her first six seasons in the league.
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Cunningham was drafted to Phoenix in 2019 and played with some of the league’s greats, including Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, and played in the WNBA Finals in 2021.
Phoenix traded Cunningham to Indiana as part of a four-team trade, in which Indiana sent NaLyssa Smith to Dallas and the No. 8 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft to Connecticut.
“I have nothing but good things to say about Phoenix,” Cunningham said. “It was my home for six years. I created a lot of fond memories and relationships and close, close friendships out there. And so it’s gonna be really nice to see some of those people. But for me, I’m just all-in. I’m happy to be here in Indiana.”
It will also be coach Stephanie White’s first time coaching against Alyssa Thomas after two seasons in Connecticut together. And it will be DeWanna Bonner’s return to Indianapolis after what became a failed signing between her and the Fever.
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Bonner was a marquee offseason signing for the Fever, choosing to follow White, who coached her for two years in Connecticut, to Indianapolis over returning to Phoenix, the place where she was drafted and won two championships.
The most-tenured player in the league, Bonner was expected to be the veteran voice the Fever needed around its young core of Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.
But it didn’t work out as planned.
Bonner began the season in the starting lineup, but felt she didn’t fit well with the style of Indiana’s play. She started three games, then moved to come off the bench in place of Lexie Hull. Bonner had career-lows during her nine games in Indiana — averaging 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds — in nine games.
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She then requested a trade as she was away from the team for five games for personal reasons, but Indiana could not find a suitable trade option and ended up waiving Bonner on June 25.
“It wasn’t a decision any of us made lightly,” Fever GM Amber Cox said in June. “So it was a lot of conversations, and again, as we got into that process, we knew when we were exploring a trade that (Bonner on the Fever) was not something that was going to last the duration of the season.”
And Bonner found a spot again back in Phoenix.
The Mercury announced they signed Bonner on July 7, reuniting her with Thomas, her fiancee and someone she played with in Connecticut for five years, and the organization where she spent the first 10 years of her career.
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“It’s home. I know I’m going to get the love and the support,” Bonner said July 7 via the Arizona Republic. “I know a lot of ladies on the team, but I’m just excited to be back home and the familiarity around this city. I just got here (July 7) and everything is sinking in, but I just wanted to be back home, and it was time.”
Bonner is coming off the bench in Phoenix with small spurts in the starting lineup depending on injuries. So far, she is averaging 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds over six games.
For White, it’s going to be a new experience to prepare against both Thomas and Bonner. And even though Bonner didn’t work out in Indiana, White is content to see her in a place she’s happy.
“I think she fits in perfectly with Phoenix,” White said. “Her and AT play so well together, and she does a really good job of adding a different dimension with her ability to be that stretch four… she’s comfortable in that system.
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“It’s going to be different to game-plan against her, her and AT both really honestly, after having been on the sideline with them for a couple of years, it’s going to be different to game-plan against her. But I’m glad that she’s happy, and I’m glad that she’s found her spot.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: DeWanna Bonner returns to Indiana with Phoenix Mercury after Fever waived her
