Latest news with #PhoenixMercury
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Fever's Sophie Cunningham slams critics who question teammate Caitlin Clark's WNBA impact: 'Literally dumb'
Sophie Cunningham put critics of second-year Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark on notice. Cunningham dismissed the notion Clark is not the "face of" the WNBA. " It literally p---s me off when people are like, 'She's not the face of the league,'" Cunningham said of her Indiana teammate during the first episode of the "Show Me Something" podcast. "We have a lot of badasses in our league, and, hell yeah, I'm all for that, but when people try to argue that she's not the face of our league or that our league would be where we're at without her, you're dumb as s---. You're literally dumb as f---." Cunningham recalled her 2024 season with the Phoenix Mercury in her argument that Clark's star power led to harsher on-court treatment from competitors during her rookie season. "I know the talks Phoenix had in their locker room of, like, 'We're going to show her what the W really is,'" Cunningham said. "I get it to a certain extent. Every rookie coming into the league, that's how you're going to treat them. But there's just more for her. It's her second year. Now being on her team and seeing it, I'm like, 'What are people doing?' It's just too much." This isn't the first time Cunningham has come to Clark's defense. She intervened earlier this season during an on-court altercation between Clark and Sun players Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey. Clark has generally dismissed ideas that other WNBA players zero in on her despite outcry from some fans about the perceived lack of calls from referees in favor of the Fever guard. Last season, she did suggest she faced an unusual level of physicality from opponents. "I think everybody is physical with me. They get away with things that probably other people don't get away with," Clark said in 2024, according to The Associated Press. "It's tough, but that's just the fact of the matter. Clark added that the physical style of play is part of competition. "This is a very physical game, and you're going to get pressure. This is professional basketball. It is what it is, honestly," she said. Earlier this month, Clark's fellow WNBA players voted her the league's ninth-best guard. Clark has played in just 13 games this season due to multiple injuries. She is averaging 16.5 points per contest, a few points below her average in 2025.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Indiana Fever forward DeWanna Bonner signing with WNBA power
Following a short stint with the Indiana Fever, veteran forward DeWanna Bonner is expected to sign with a prominent WNBA powerhouse. In her nine games with the Fever this season, she averaged 7.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game on 34.5% shooting from the field. After taking a five-game absence from the team due to "personal reasons", Bonner requested a trade by the Fever so she could play in a larger role elsewhere. After finding no success in the trade market, Indiana elected to waive Bonner on June 25. With Bonner now a free agent, she is expected to sign with the Phoenix Mercury (12-6) in the coming days. The mid-season acquisition by the Mercury will serve as a reunion between the two, as Phoenix selected Bonner with the No. 5 pick in the 2009 WNBA draft. Bonner would play 10 seasons with the Mercury, where she won WNBA championships in 2009 and 2014, earned All-Star status three times (2015, 2018, and 2019), and won WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year three times (2009, 2010, 2011) before departing for the Connecticut Sun in 2020. In her now-16 seasons for the Mercury, Sun, and Fever, Bonner holds career averages of 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals in 511 regular-season games. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Former Indiana Fever star DeWanna Bonner signing with Phoenix Mercury
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Indiana Fever guard Aari McDonald erupts for career-high in win vs Mercury
In the Indiana Fever's (15-12) highly-anticipated matchup against the Phoenix Mercury (16-10), Fever guard Aari McDonald morphed into one of the game's biggest stories. The matchup featured the return of former forward DeWanna Bonner, who requested a trade from the team in June. But, it was McDonald's performance that captured the spotlight. McDonald erupted for a career-high 27 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, including 3-for-4 from 3-point territory. The 5-foot-6 guard was also a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line during her 31 minutes of Indiana's eventual 107-101 victory. In addition to her team-leading offensive contributions, McDonald also collected four assists and two steals to close out her night. The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft seems to have finally found a home with Indiana. McDonald's 2025 campaign has been quite a journey. The Los Angeles Sparks waived the former Arizona Wildcat during training camp, where she remained a free agent until joining the Fever on an emergency hardship exception contract on June 2. Despite her impressive play and fan affection in the temporary contract period, the Fever were forced to waive McDonald when the team regained health. Ironically, the Fever re-signed McDonald for the remainder of the season after waiving Bonner on June 25. Given the undetermined length of Clark's recovery from her July 15 right groin injury, the Fever's offensive output has been heavily reliant upon Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston. While the ideal return for Clark appears to be centered around the five-day break in the Fever's schedule from Aug. 15 to Aug. 22, McDonald could be precisely the kind of scoring guard the team needs to help propel the offense in the absence of the former Hawkeye. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews. This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Indiana Fever guard Aari McDonald erupts for career-high vs Mercury
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Fever's Sophie Cunningham: Caitlin Clark critics 'dumb as f---'
July 31 - (Strong language warning) When it comes to the face of the WNBA and the player taking the league to new heights, the Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham minces no words. Cunningham says critics of teammate Caitlin Clark don't just come from the stands or via social media either. There is a resentment from players in the league that the seventh-year guard finds abhorrent. "It literally pisses me off when people are like, 'She's not the face of the league.' What?" Cunningham said on her new podcast, 'Show Me Something.' "There's really good, well-known people in our league. I'm not discrediting them. We have a lot of badasses in our league. Hell yeah to that. I'm all for that. But when people try to argue that she's not the face of our league or our league would be where we're at without her, you're dumb as s---. You're literally dumb as f---." Cunningham was on the other side with the Phoenix Mercury last season, when Clark was a rookie, and said teammates planned to zero in on the young star player. "I know the talks Phoenix had in their locker room of, like, 'We're gonna show her what the W really is,'" Cunningham said. "I get it to a certain extent. Every rookie coming into the league, that's how you're going to treat them. But there's just more for her. It's her second year. Now being on her team and seeing it, I'm like, 'What are people doing?' It's just too much." Cunningham came to Clark's defense on the court earlier this season in an incident with the Connecticut Sun's Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey. Clark has been limited to just 13 games because of multiple leg injuries and her 16.5 points per game are below her 19.2 mark over 40 games last season when she was named WNBA Rookie of the Year. But within those 13 games was a matchup with Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky that drew 2.7 million viewers that was the most watched WNBA game in 25 years. Teams in smaller home arenas also move their games to bigger arenas for matchups with Clark and the Fever. "This is what we've always wanted as a league so like, who cares who gets the credit," Cunningham said. "And if you're smart (you know) you're making money off them. ... Just be nice. Why can't people be nice?" --Field Level Media
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arizona Digest: Phoenix Mercury's losing streak against Indiana Fever extends to 6 games
Summer is here in Arizona, and there's plenty of activity. Phoenix Rising FC's USL Championship soccer and Arizona Rattlers seasons are in full swing, along with the new women's soccer club Desert Dreams FC. Here are the news and events happening around Arizona sports. Phoenix Mercury losing streak vs. Indiana Fever reaches 6 games The Phoenix Mercury (16-10) couldn't solve the Indiana Fever, turning the ball over 19 times in the 107-101 loss in Indianapolis on Wednesday, July 30. Alyssa Thomas shouldered a heavy load for the glass game, grabbing 15 of the Mercury's 31 rebounds. Thomas also posted a career-high 32 points. Kahleah Copper followed with 22 points. The Mercury put together a strong first quarter, but struggled handling the ball in the ensuing quarters. Along with posting eight turnovers in the second quarter, the Mercury surrendered a 12-0 scoring run from the Fever that changed the game's momentum. The mistakes were costly as the Fever went on to score 25 points off turnovers. Fever guard and Arizona product Aari McDonald became a huge problem for the Mercury's defense and saw three of her four 3-point attempts fall down. McDonald logged a career-high 27 points, including 17 in the first half, and was 10 of 10 at the free throw line. Defending against the 3 became difficult for the Mercury, even with Caitlin Clark out for the Fever. The Fever went 11 of 24 from the 3, including five in the second quarter. Starting guard Monique Akoa Makani left abruptly in the third quarter after experiencing discomfort. Akoa Makani returned later in the fourth, but in her absence, Sami Whitcomb stepped in and posted nine points off the bench. The Mercury have lost the last six meetings against the Fever, but will regroup on Friday, Aug. 1, at the Atlanta Dream at 4:30 p.m. --Jenna Ortiz This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Mercury drops 6th straight loss against Indiana Fever
