Caitlin Clark made it clear that there’s no love lost between her and former Indiana Fever teammate DeWanna Bonner on Tuesday night.
Although the Fever star is sidelined with a lingering groin injury, she didn’t shy away from the action Tuesday when she was spotted clashing with Bonner in a tense on-court exchange during the Phoenix Mercury’s 85-79 win.
Bonner, who demanded a trade away from the Fever after just nine games earlier this season, came face-to-face with her former team and it was clear there was still bad blood.
The heated exchange came as a timeout was called after Lexie Hull was called for a foul. Bonner began slowly making her way back to the Mercury bench and appeared to say something in the direction of Clark, who was loitering near the sidelines.
While it’s unclear what the two-time WNBA champion said, Clark, who was dressed in black sweats, appeared to hit back as she waved her former teammate back to the bench.
The shooing gesture from Clark, who had left her own bench, sparked a heated back-and-forth between the two rivals.
Caitlin Clark may be injured but that didn’t prevent her from a testy on-court exchange
Clark was caught in a heated exchange of words with former Fever teammate DeWanna Bonner
Bonner eventually had to be herded back to her bench by her Mercury teammates and an official.
Bonner was only signed by the Fever in February on a one-year deal – at the time, it seemed a smart move to put Clark with the two-time WNBA champion as Indiana tried to build on her stunning rookie year.
However, the relationship between Bonner and the Fever appeared to quickly sour with the 38-year-old swiftly forcing her way out of Indiana.
At the time, Front Office Sports claimed Bonner ‘has no interest’ in playing for the Fever again after being ruled out of first-team action for personal reasons.
She started the first three games and then was benched in favor of Hull before the team said that issues away from the court had ruled her out. Bonner, 37, made six appearances off the bench.
The report added that the fit between the Fever and Bonner was ‘off’ and that, perhaps unsurprisingly, Bonner expected to be a starter.
Bonner was later traded to the Mercury, where her fiancee Alyssa Thomas also plays. Bonner also won her two WNBA titles there in 2009 and 2014.
And it appears there’s that tension still lingers between Bonner and her former Fever teammates.
Clark was captured shooing the 38-year-old back to her bench during the Mercury’s win
Bonner and Clark briefly played on the same team before the former forced her way out
The two-time WNBA champion demanded a trade earlier this season after nine games
Sophie Cunningham, who had become somewhat of an enforcer for Clark before both their injuries this season, addressed Bonner’s exit on a recent episode of her Show Me Something podcast.
‘It’s okay to be professional about it, and like send a text to your teammates,’ Cunningham said.
‘Send a text saying and be like, ‘Hey, love you guys.’ Or you don’t even have to say ‘Love you guys.’ Just be like, ‘Hey, sorry this didn’t work out, good luck.’ You know what I mean? There’s a way to handle that, I think.’
