Sophie Cunningham Shrugs Off DeWanna Bonner Finger Point Exchange After Mercury-Fever
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham received a technical foul after she kept pointing at Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner at one point during Indiana's 86-77 win over Phoenix on Monday night.
Bonner started the 2025 season with the Fever before taking a leave of absence from the team shortly into the season, requesting a trade, getting waived, and then ultimately joining the Mercury.
Cunningham was critical of how Bonner handled this situation during an August 2025 episode of her "Show Me Something" podcast, saying, "Send a text and be like, 'Hey, love you guys.' Or you don't even have to say 'Love you guys.' Just be like, 'Hey, sorry this didn't work out, good luck.' You know what I mean? There’s a way [for Bonner] to handle that, I think."
Cunningham was also asked about these comments after Monday's game, saying, "It's old news. Old news," per an X post from Brian Haenchen of IndyStar.
She was then asked whether she ever received an explanation for how Bonner handled her Fever exit, and said, "No. And we never will, and I really don't care anymore."
Sophie Cunningham on the fourth-quarter fracas: pic.twitter.com/U6qxg36jVI
— hank 🇰🇷 (@Brian_Haenchen) June 23, 2026
Sohpie Cunningham Explains Why Technical Foul Fracas in Fever-Mercury Game is 'Fine'
Cunningham was also asked about her perspective on the scuffle between her team and several members of the Phoenix Mercury after Monday night's 86-77 win.
"It's fine. You know, I think sometimes, it's a part of the game. I think we kept our heads. You know, I think we could've stopped it a little bit sooner. But at the end of the day, we kept our heads, we finished the ball game well, and that's what we need to do moving forward," Cunningham said.
Cunningham was one of five players who received a technical foul as a result of the scuffle. Bonner also did, as did her fiancée, Mercury star forward Alyssa Thomas. Clark got one (her fifth of the season), and Myisha Hines-Allen got two in the game because of exchanges with Thomas, which led to her getting ejected.
Cunningham also said that things get chippy at times in professional sports, and that it's okay for women to "have extracurricular [activities] at times, because you have to hold your ground."
She then added that the team's focus is on winning the ballgame and that nothing else matters since the Fever accomplished that task.
For what it's worth, plenty of fans and members of the media care, as this will become a talking point leading up to Wednesday's game. And that rematch just became a lot more intriguing after everything that happened between Cunningham, Bonner, and everyone else involved with this scuffle.
There's no question that there's some bad blood between Fever players from last season and Bonner, even if the two sides won't want to say it. Many Indiana fans will never forgive Bonner for leaving the team in the way she did, even after the Fever wound up advancing all the way to the WNBA Semifinal.
One can imagine that Wednesday's game will be very emotionally charged for Bonner, despite what Cunningham said postgame.
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Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
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