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Aari McDonald's Indiana Fever 'Place to Be' Verdict After Re-Signing Says it All

Indiana Fever guard Aari McDonald is spreading positivity amid re-signing with the team.
Grant Young|
Indiana Fever guard Aari McDonald (2) celebrates Tuesday, June 3, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana Fever guard Aari McDonald (2) celebrates Tuesday, June 3, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The news about DeWanna Bonner wanting to leave the Indiana Fever that was revealed back on June 24 (and which led to her being waived by the team on June 25) left a sour taste in the mouths of many Fever fans. However, the silver lining of this was that it created room for Indiana to re-sign veteran guard Aari McDonald.

McDonald signed an emergency hardship exception contract with the team in early June after several Fever guards suffered injuries in the span of a couple of games. And despite only practicing with the team for one day before her first game, McDonald impressed everyone with her work ethic, tenacity, and grit she brought to the court, especially on defense.

Ultimately, the Fever had to release McDonald on June 13 after she had played in three games with the team. But now she's back in an Indiana uniform, presumably for the rest of this season.

McDonald spoke with the media on June 26 and shared a strong stance about her desire to come back to this squad, despite also fielding interest elsewhere.

“[Fever GM] Amber [Cox] and I had multiple talks about me possibly coming back. And I was interested, but I did want to go through the process. There were a couple other teams interested," McDonald said, per an X post from @nosyone4. "And I was up front with Amber, just like, 'Of course, I will love to be here, but I’m gonna explore just to see what the other teams are talking about.'

"But in the back of my mind, I just knew this was the place to be," McDonald said with a smile.

Given all the recent news about Bonner not wanting to be in Indiana, Fever fans are going to appreciate McDonald sharing this sentiment.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever 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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