Kahleah Copper Didn't Appreciate Fever Crowd Booing DeWanna Bonner in Return

Copper had her teammate's back after Bonner's return to Indiana.

DeWanna Bonner returned to Indiana as a member of the Phoenix Mercury Wednesday. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

After a brief stint with the Indiana Fever to start the season, DeWanna Bonner returned to Gainbridge Fieldhouse Wednesday as a member of the Phoenix Mercury.

Bonner, who has scored the third-most points in WNBA history, received a serenade of boos from the crowd in Indianapolis when she first checked into the game:

DeWanna Bonner checks in, is immediately boo’d by Fever fans. Was part of Indiana for just nine games.

Her partner, Alyssa Thomas, gestures to fans to keep bringing it. pic.twitter.com/8SNDftPTij

— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 30, 2025

A tough situation after Bonner stepped away from the Fever due to personal reasons before the team released her, with the league legend admitting herself "the fit didn't work out." She signed with the Mercury July 8, where she spent the first 10 years of her career.

Following the return to Indiana on Wednesday, Mercury star Kahleah Copper was asked how her new teammate handled the game and the crowd's reaction. Copper thought Bonner handled it well, but appeared to take some exception to the crowd herself.

"I just don't understand, you know, she's a legend," Copper said to reporters after the Mercury's 107-101 loss to the Fever. "Just all the things that she's done for the league and just the disrespect, I can't get down with it. They boo'd her, she didn't say a word to the crowd. People talked some trash to her but we had her back.

"It's just very distasteful for what their fan base has done as far as when it comes to DB because she's just the sweetest soul and the situation didn't work for her. And you know that's just not what she wanted or whatever. But we don't need all of that, it's just unnecessary."

Here's a clip of Copper's postgame comments:

Here's a full clip on what Kahleah Copper had to say about DeWanna Bonner's return to Indianapolis tonight and how the fans treated her #WNBA https://t.co/Nbj13qPWLk pic.twitter.com/crYW2CGez5

— Aya Abdeen (@ayabdeen) July 31, 2025

Since joining the Mercury, Bonner is averaging 11.5 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 38.1% on three-pointers, mostly coming off the bench.

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