Four-time WNBA All-Star Kahleah Copper had strong words for Indiana Fever fans on Wednesday night, criticizing how they treated Phoenix Mercury’s DeWanna Bonner during her return to Indianapolis.
Bonner started the season with the Fever as a key offseason addition, but after things didn’t pan out, she left the team prompting some to brand her a “quitter,” a label she firmly rejects. Now with the Mercury and playing alongside her fiancée Alyssa Thomas, Bonner has shown improved performance and recently helped Phoenix defeat the Golden State Valkyries.
Wednesday marked Bonner’s first game back in Indiana since her departure, and fans greeted her with boos during a 107-101 Mercury loss. Bonner scored just four points on 1-of-4 shooting. While such a reaction from fans isn’t unusual in pro sports, especially when a player leaves under tense circumstances, it didn’t sit well with Copper.
“I don’t get it. She’s a legend,” Copper said postgame. “With everything she’s done for the league, the disrespect was just unnecessary. She didn’t even respond to the crowd, people were talking trash, but we supported her. It’s just distasteful. DB is one of the kindest people. The situation in Indiana didn’t work out, but the treatment she got was uncalled for.”
However, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts offered a different take. “She handled it well,” he said. “That’s part of sports when you leave a team on tough terms, fans usually won’t be happy. That’s what happened tonight.”
While Copper defended Bonner against what she viewed as disrespect, Tibbetts acknowledged the fans’ reaction as typical sports behavior. And in truth, booing while not exactly classy shows that WNBA fans are now engaged enough to care deeply about roster drama and player movement.
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