Sophie Cunningham Digs at 'Miss Priss' DeWanna Bonner Before Fever-Mercury Rematch

Sophie Cunningham used an interesting nickname for DeWanna Bonner before the Indiana Fever and the Phoenix Mercury play on July 9.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) points to Phoenix Mercury forward-guard DeWanna Bonner (24) | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham used an interesting nickname for Phoenix Mercury star DeWanna Bonner when recapping her finger-point heard around the world during a July 8 appearance on the "Sons and Daughters" podcast.

When speaking about her pointing the finger at Bonner, Cunningham said, "So, I wasn't even speaking to Miss Priss over there... And [the finger-point] made [Bonner] mad. And she was like, 'Don't you point at me!' And I was like, 'Oh! Shouldn't have said that.'"

“I thought it would be my mouth that got me in trouble, it was simply just my sass”

We had Sophie Cunningham on this week’s episode of Sons & Daughters - of COURSE we’re asking about her viral finger point. https://t.co/ctnCsHGmRY pic.twitter.com/WxLtEA0UG3

— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) July 9, 2026

"Priss" or "prissy" is a term used for someone who is overly fussy, high-maintenance, or otherwise bratty.

And Cunningham's choice to use this nickname for Bonner clearly felt intentional, especially because these two have been in two different locker rooms together, once with the Mercury in 2019 and once with the Fever in 2025 (before Bonner left the team because she seemingly didn't like her role).

Cunningham alluded to this history between her and Bonner at another point in the podcast saying, "If you know the history amongst players, amongst teams, once I get in someone's head, it's game-over. And yeah, everyone's like, 'Oh, but she had two points.' Yeah, but I stirred up a whole freakin' rivalry amongst two teams. So there's more to the game than just stats."

Cunningham's Fever Set to Face Bonner's Mercury on July 9

The timing of these comments is especially interesting because the Fever are playing the Mercury in Phoenix on July 9. There were already tensions not just between Cunningham and Bonner, but also between both of these teams more broadly, especially after the incident between Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark when Indiana and Phoenix played on June 26.

However, Clark won't be playing in Thursday's game because the Fever had already decided she'd sit the second leg of Indiana's back-to-back after facing the Los Angeles Sparks on July 8. Plus, Cunningham was dealing with back spasms during that game against Los Angeles, limiting her to 11 minutes in the 106-92 defeat. It's currently unclear whether she'll be available to face Bonner and the Mercury on Thursday.

As Cunningham alluded to, this matchup already feels like a rivalry. And Cunningham's decision to call Bonner "Miss Priss" is only going to add more fuel to this rematch, regardless of who is on the court when the game begins.

Even if these boiling tensions don't amount to anything on the court on Thursday, it's hard to imagine that Bonner will take kindly to Cunningham calling her this nickname.