​The back-to-back late-June clashes between the Indiana Fever and the Phoenix Mercury have once again taken center stage in WNBA conversations. Six technical fouls, an ejection, and a closed-fist throat punch that led to a league suspension have many anticipating another heated showdown this Thursday, when the teams meet again at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Before the rematch, a WNBA analyst offered insight into Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner’s abrupt departure from Indiana last season.
The on-court volatility began on June 22 in Indianapolis, when a second-half skirmish between Brittney Clark and DeWanna Bonner triggered a broader confrontation. Clark picked up her fifth technical foul of the season as the dust settled. The chaos continued as Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and Bonner exchanged words and received double technicals, and Indiana’s Myisha Hines-Allen was ejected after shoving Thomas.
Two nights later, the intensity escalated further, with Alyssa Thomas of the Mercury delivering a closed-fist punch to Clark’s throat during a second-quarter scramble. The consequences were notable: a suspension for Thomas, accompanied by allegations of online abuse and a heated debate over how the league’s officiating is administered.
Nevertheless, analyst Trysta Krick offered a deeper explanation for the conflict, pointing to a longer-running tension rooted in Bonner’s abrupt exit from the Fever midway through the 2025 season. During a recent Yahoo Sports broadcast, Krick traced the hostility to the circumstances surrounding Bonner’s departure and the questions that followed.
“Remember, DeWanna Bonner played for the Fever and left the team midway through the season, and we never really got clarity why,” Krick said. “And when I spoke with people around the team, it was all about Caitlin. It was about how much of a heliocentric player she is—the vibe around the team. And clearly, Caitlin’s teammates love her. DeWanna Bonner, from the people I’ve talked to, didn’t enjoy playing with her. So I think that has raised the temperature.”
Bonner’s Indiana tenure was brief. She signed with the Fever in February 2025 and even appeared on a Sports Illustrated cover alongside Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell in May. Yet the honeymoon did not last: Bonner soon fell out of the starting lineup in her fourth game, stepped away from the team by mid-June, and formally requested a trade, citing personal reasons.
“Thomas is in a relationship with Bonner, and they’ve been together for a long time,” Krick observed. “That doesn’t have anything to do with the temperature that’s risen between these two teams.”
The on-court performance of the stars in question is compelling in its own right. Caitlin Clark drives Indiana’s offense whenever she’s on the floor, a factor that has been central to the Fever’s identity and strategy this season. The tension between Bonner and Clark’s camps, coupled with the physicality that has punctuated their matchups, has kept fans and analysts alike glued to every development. As Thursday’s rematch approaches, the question remains: will the friction translate into another competitive, high-stakes game, or will it spill over into further disciplinary action and controversy?