"Grow Up": Sophie Cunningham Has Message Ahead of Fever-Mercury Clash With Bonner
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham will face her former team for the first time when the Fever (14-12) host the Phoenix Mercury (16-9) on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Beyond Cunningham seeing her old teammates and coaches from Phoenix, it will also mark DeWanna Bonner's first time back in Indianapolis since her dramatic exit from the Fever last month.
Cunningham is never afraid to speak her mind, and she stayed true to that on Tuesday when asked if the reunion with her former teammates could be awkward.
"It's not awkward," she said bluntly. "If it's awkward then you need to grow up.'
Why Sophie Cunningham Left Phoenix
After six seasons and one WNBA Finals appearance with the Mercury, Cunningham left the team that drafted her hoping for a better shot at a ring alongside Caitlin Clark & Co. in Indianapolis.
"My first thought was, 'Oh, heck yeah, we're about to go win a championship,'" said Cunningham, 28, when she joined the Fever via trade in the offseason. "I learned a lot out there, but I'm ready to move on, to something bigger and better, and have a lot of great players around me to seriously go win a championship."
The veteran has only started four times for head coach Stephanie White this season. Her averages of 24.3 minutes, 7.5 points and 0.8 assists are down from her last three seasons in Phoenix, but she has had success as a role player before. The last time she started fewer than 20 games in a season was 2021 — the year the Mercury made the finals.
Cunningham credited her time in Phoenix for putting her "around a lot of GOATs of the game," such as, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Skylar Diggins, Alyssa Thomas and Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello.
What to Expect From DeWanna Bonner's Return to Indianapolis
Bonner was on that list as well, with Cunningham saying before the 2025 season that "getting her was huge" for the Fever.
"She was one of my vets when I was a rookie coming in," Cunningham said. "And she's no one to mess with."
The Fever waived Bonner after just nine games. The two-time WNBA champion said in a statement "the fit did not work."
Ahead of her return, Bonner told the Associated Press that she does not know how the fans will react when she returns, but her focus is to "go out and compete" with her new team.
In six games with the Mercury, Bonner is putting up 11.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, notable jumps from her averages with the Fever (7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds).
One thing that is not in doubt is Cunningham's stance on the reunion. Indiana's veteran leader said there is no room for awkwardness — and Bonner is one of the players who taught her that type of leadership in the first place.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
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