Lexie Hull says DeWanna Bonner’s departure brought Fever together

The Indiana Fever’s 2025 season was one for the history books. In one of the most noteworthy chapters, key free agent signing DeWanna Bonner mysteriously left the team with no explanation, then signed with the Phoenix Mercury after she was waived. 

In a new interview with Glamour, Fever guard Lexie Hull shared that Bonner’s unexplained departure initially hurt but ultimately brought the team together. 

“I was super, super, super excited because finally there’s a [player in my position] that I can look up to that has won in the league and has all these accomplishments and knows what it takes, and I can learn something from her,” Hull said of Bonner. “And then she randomly leaves, and we’re all just kind of like, ‘What happened?’ We were never given an explanation.”

Bonner moved into third place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list in her first game with the Fever, but aside from that moment, her first few weeks with the team were disappointing. Bonner looked nothing like her usual self on the offensive end and was benched after three games. 

In mid-June, Bonner stepped away from the Fever for what the team called “personal reasons.” As her absence stretched to nearly two weeks, reports began to circulate that she had requested a trade. Eventually, the Fever waived Bonner on June 25. 

Bonner, who was loudly booed upon her return to Indianapolis, later told reporters that she “wouldn’t do anything differently.” 

“I think my journey is my journey, and I’m going to accept that,” Bonner continued. “It carried me to where I am now in Phoenix, and it happened that way for a reason.”

Bonner’s sudden departure came amid an injury-riddled season for the Fever. Star guard Caitlin Clark was limited to 13 games due to an array of lower-body injuries, and was one of five players, along with Chloe Bibby, Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham and Aari McDonald, who suffered season-ending injuries during the regular season. Damiris Dantas ended up missing the entire playoff run with a concussion and Kelsey Mitchell left the team’s season-ending defeat with rhabdomyolysis. 

“To have no explanation [for Bonner’s departure] was really challenging, but I think that helped us grow closer together because we’re like, ‘All right, this is us. We’re here. We’re going to support each other. We’re loving each other. We’re going to fight for each other. We’re not going to leave. We’re in this together,'” Hull said. 

The Fever didn’t have a single starting lineup play more than nine games together and 18 different players appeared in at least one game. Despite so much upheaval, the team won five of its last seven games to not only secure a playoff spot but also move up to the No. 6 seed, then went on a stunning run to the semifinals. 

In the semis, the Fever pushed the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces to overtime in the deciding Game 5. If not for Mitchell’s early exit in that contest, they very well may have made the Finals.