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DeWanna Bonner, one of the WNBA’s most accomplished players, made her ambitions clear after she joined the Indiana Fever during the WNBA offseason. The 37-year-old forward said her decision to sign with Indiana was driven by one goal: competing for another championship.
“I want to win a championship,” Bonner said during her introduction on Monday, as reported by Madie Chandler of Feverbasketball.com. “I want to win another championship, I want to get back to the Finals, first and foremost.”
Bonner brings a wealth of experience to the Fever, with two WNBA championships and six All-Star selections to her name. She spent the last five seasons with the Connecticut Sun, where she reached the Finals in 2022 and the semifinals in every other season. Bonner also ranks fourth on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list and is just seven points shy of overtaking Tamika Catchings for third place. She will wear No. 25 in Indiana since Catchings’ No. 24 is retired.
In Indiana, Bonner joins a team focused on building around its young core, which includes reigning Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark and rising star Aliyah Boston. The Fever’s front office made significant moves this offseason, re-signing star guard Kelsey Mitchell, adding former MVP Natasha Howard, and trading for sharpshooter Sophie Cunningham. The roster overhaul reflects the Fever's intention to make a deeper playoff run after finishing 20-20 last season and securing its first postseason appearance since 2016.
Bonner highlighted the excitement of playing alongside talented teammates like Mitchell, Boston and Clark. “Playing with Kelsey (Mitchell) and Lexie Hull and (Aliyah Boston),” Bonner said, “It’s just going to be easy to score.”
DeWanna Bonner and Fever are ‘match made in heaven'
Fever President of Basketball and Business Operations Kelly Krauskopf described Bonner as a perfect fit for the team’s vision, praising her competitive fire and consistency.
“That’s a match made in heaven,” Fever President of Basketball and Business Operations Kelly Krauskopf said of the duo. “…That is the one thing about DeWanna Bonner for me that I always, always, put number one when I was looking at her to add to the roster. She is an incredibly, incredibly fiery, competitive player on every possession, and consistently is the same.”
Bonner agreed that it was somewhat a bit of that led her to Indiana, considering that her former coach, Stephanie White, is now the head coach for the Fever.
“I knew from the beginning that all the lines kind of connected to Indiana … I mean the position, the basketball they play, (Stephanie White) and (Austin Kelly) left and came here…I knew it,” Bonner said of her free agency. “Coming to a franchise that’s growing women’s sports … I’m just blessed … I’m just honored to be here now, and hopefully I can put out the product that everyone deserves here.”