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Caitlin Clark Discusses DeWanna Bonner's Competitive Drive Motivating Indiana Fever

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark got honest about new teammate DeWanna Bonner's competitive fuel influencing their team.
Grant Young|
Connecticut Sun forward DeWanna Bonner defends a shot by Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark during a September 22, 2024 game.
Connecticut Sun forward DeWanna Bonner defends a shot by Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark during a September 22, 2024 game. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

New Indiana Fever Wing DeWanna Bonner had her introductory press conference with the team on February 10.

Among the many topics that Bonner touched upon was her dust-up with Fever superstar Caitlin Clark during the 2024 WNBA Playoffs.

In the first quarter of Game 2 of the Fever vs. Connecticut Sun series, Clark thought she was fouled by Bonner after a three-point shot. Clark was speaking to the referee on the other side of the court, which prompted Bonner to chirp at Clark.

No. 22 then tried to slightly shove Bonner, and Bonner responded by whacking her arm away.

Bonner addressed this incident on Monday by saying, "I'm glad you asked that question because my inbox has been going crazy about that moment. But I think it's just two competitive players that want to win and push to get over the finish line. It's playoffs, so emotions are high, tensions are high."

Caitlin Clark was present at Bonner's press conference and spoke with the media afterward. When she was asked about this same scuffle by The Athletic's James Boyd, she offered an intriguing response.

"That's exactly what you want. You want your teammates to be just as competitive as you are, so I think training camp is going to be really fun," Clark said, per an X post from Boyd. "That's when you're competing live, you're getting after things, coaches are figuring out what lineups work, what lineups don't.

"So I think it's more so the drive of pushing your teammates to get better. I think that's exactly what she speaks to when she talked about her leadership," Clark added. "That's gonna push all of us to get better, when you can see a vet like that come in here and want to get better every single day... that's inspiring. That motivates you to want to be better, too."

Clark seems eager for the Fever's season to begin.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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