DeWanna Bonner will head back to Indiana with the Phoenix Mercury on July 30 — her first time playing in Gainbridge Fieldhouse since mid-June. Bonner was last seen on the court on June 10, and was waived from the team two weeks later. She signed with the Mercury in early July.
While speaking to reporters Saturday, Bonner directly addressed rumors that she left Indiana in part because she was upset about coming off the bench. Bonner initially began the season as a starter, but Lexie Hull was subbed into the rotation ahead of her.
"That wasn't ever the issue. That's never been me," said Bonner, a three-time winner of the Sixth Woman of the Year award. "I have no problems coming off the bench. I have never been that player. I don't feel like I have that reputation."
Bonner also said she wouldn't change a single thing about how her season has changed, despite the furor that followed her decision to head back to Phoenix, to the team that drafted her into the league (and where she's won two WNBA Championships). "I wouldn't do anything differently. I think my journey is my journey, and I'm going to accept that," Bonner explained.
"It carried me to where I am now in Phoenix, and it happened that way for a reason."
Bonner is having a strong season with the Mercury
Bonner's decision certainly seems to have been the right one. Though she was touted as a leader of the Fever and there was plenty of excitement surrounding the team's decision to sign her at the beginning of the year, both she and the Fever have since said that the fit was never quite right.
The move back to Phoenix also reunites Bonner with Alyssa Thomas, her fiancé and former teammate (the pair played together for the Connecticut Sun under the team's then-coach Stephanie White). When they're firing on all cylinders — and they so often are — Bonner and Thomas are electric on the court together, consistently aware of just where the other is, and seemingly capable of nearly reading one another's minds.
The pair will need to lean into that superpower during Thursday's game. The Mercury are enjoying a strong season so far this year, and are one of only two (maybe three) teams that pose a significant challenge to the Liberty and the Lynx — two teams who appear poised to offer fans a repeat of last year's Championship Game.