Latest news with #Sun-Fever
New York Post
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
WNBA star DeWanna Bonner confronted columnist Christine Brennan after she asked DiJonai Carrington about Caitlin Clark incident
DeWanna Bonner confronted USA TODAY columnist Christine Brennan with the same message four times during last year's WNBA playoffs, according to a new book. After Brennan asked Sun forward DiJonai Carrington if she had intentionally hit rookie sensation Caitlin Clark in the eye while defending a pass and then laughed about it with teammate Marina Mabrey after the fact — as social media had begun to speculate through interpretations of videos — Bonner took offense on Carrington's behalf. In an excerpt from her upcoming book 'On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports' published Sunday by CNN, Brennan tells the behind-the-scenes story of Sept. 24, 2024 during an off day of the Sun-Fever playoff series. 4 DeWanna Bonner (24) and DiJonai Carrington (21) with the Sun last season. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Just a couple of minutes after Carrington's interview session was over and she walked away, I was standing near the other reporters at the side of the court when her teammate DeWanna Bonner walked toward me. 'You disrespected my teammate,' she said. I put out my hand and tried to introduce myself, but Bonner did not want to shake it. 'You attacked my teammate,' she said. I motioned to my phone in my hand. 'Can I tell you what I said? I was happy to show her the video I had just taken of Carrington's answers to my questions. I again tried to introduce myself since Bonner and I had never met, but Bonner wanted no part of that. 'You attacked my teammate,' she said again. I tried to introduce myself once more. 'I asked her a question to give her a chance to respond to a controversy.' 'You disrespected my teammate,' Bonner said again, walking away. Bonner never raised her voice, nor did I. 4 USA Today columnist Christine Brennan. Getty Images Brennan's questions and Carrington's indignant denials became news at the time. News of the interview and Bonner's more private reaction to it both quickly reached a WNBA official. 'Your questions were fine,' the official told Brennan, per the book. 'Unfortunately, most of our players have zero idea what real media exposure is. They don't know what real coverage is, they have been shielded at college and then they come to the WNBA not knowing what real questions are. Frankly, our players just don't get it.' Tensions spilled into the next day — before Game 2 of the series — when Carrington accused Brennan and two other journalists of 'talking sh—' about NaLyssa Smith of the Fever. Carrington and Smith are partners but were playing head-to-head in the series. 4 Caitlin Clark goes down after getting hit in the eye during a WNBA playoff game against the Sun on Sept. 22, 2024. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images A Sun communications manager and Mabrey pulled Carrington away as she accused Brennan of saying Smith is 'a bad teammate.' As word traveled around the arena in what was described as 'a bad game of 'Telephone,' Smith challenged Brennan. 'Do you have something to say to me?' she asked. When Brennan said nothing negative was said, Smith accused her of lying. By the end of the week, the WNBA Players Association had issued a statement: 'To unprofessional members of the media like Christine Brennan: You are not fooling anyone. That so-called interview in the name of journalism was a blatant attempt to bait a professional athlete into participating in a narrative that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic, and misogynistic vitriol on social media. You cannot hide behind your tenure.' 4 DiJonai Carrington (21) defends Caitlin Clark (22) during a Sun-Fever WNBA playoff game on Sept. 22, 2024. NBAE via Getty Images USA Today responded with a statement defending Brennan's interview and journalistic reputation 'as advocate for women and athletes.' In the months since the incident, Carrington was traded from the Sun to the Wings and Bonner was signed by the Fever to team with Clark. Bonner has since been released by the Fever after nine games and remains a free agent.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Has Priceless Reaction to WNBA Backlash After Sun-Fever Game
Caitlin Clark Has Priceless Reaction to WNBA Backlash After Sun-Fever Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Fever's game on Tuesday against the Connecticut Sun had an ugly end. Throughout the game, the physicality was at an all-time high, with Caitlin Clark getting into a shoving match twice. In the first half, she was shoved by Sun guard Marina Mabrey after getting into a heated verbal exchange with Jacy Sheldon. Advertisement In the third quarter, Clark was fouled by Sheldon after she was poked in the eye. The Fever star stood up for herself, but Mabrey got involved again and pushed her, leading her to hit the deck. The officials did not eject anyone after that, and the Sun guard was the only player who was given a flagrant foul 1. However, Clark, Mabrey and Tina Charles were each assessed with a technical foul. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the second half against the Connecticut Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Things got out of hand as the game was about to end, unfortunately. A brawl started with less than a minute in the game after Sophie Cunningham committed a hard foul on Sheldon. The former Dallas Wings guard retaliated, which started the brawl. In the end, Cunningham, Sheldon and Lindsay Allen were all ejected. Following the contest, Fever's head coach, Stephanie White, criticized the officiating. Advertisement "Now, things are happening quickly. Everybody's getting better, except the officials. So we got to find a way to remedy it," White told the media. As she was giving her answer, Clark had a priceless look on her face as she sat next to White during the postgame presser. The 2024 Rookie of the Year knows it's likely to be on the other end of bad officiating. Since she started her WNBA career, Clark has experienced unfair officiating. After the contest, the league announced punishment for the players involved in the heated Fever-Sun game. Mabrey's technical foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul 2. However, no player was suspended by the WNBA. Advertisement Related: WNBA Refs' Message Amid Backlash Over Caitlin Clark Altercation During Sun-Fever Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
