Current Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner's unceremonious exit from the Indiana Fever did not bode well for the league veteran's return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse last week, at which point she was fiercely booed by the home fans.
But Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who previously played with Bonner before their joint stint with Indiana, doesn't think the boos was were deep. Nor does she appear to harbor toward Bonner any of the ill will those boos might suggest.
“I like DB,” Cunningham said on an episode of her podcast, Show Me Something, released Tuesday. “DB was one of my vets when I was in Phoenix, and then we gathered here in Indiana. It was kind of a surprise she was signed to Indiana anyway. We’ll take her in a heartbeat. She’s a Hall-of-Famer, she’s a hell of a basketball player, can score from anywhere on the court.
“But she got to Indiana and she just really wasn’t happy,” Cunningham added. “I want people to be happy, so that's why I’m kind of neutral on this one, which a lot of people are surprised about. She's towards the end of her career, so she deserves her flowers, she deserves to be happy."
That said, "if you're going to leave, you're going to have to expect getting booed," Cunningham concluded.
The guard also said it would have been nice to receive some sort of acknowledgement or message from Bonner during the exit.
"I want her to end her career and be happy," the Fever star continued, "but I also think it's okay to be professional about it and send a text to your teammates. Send a text and be like, 'Hey, love you guys.' Or, you don't even have to say 'Love you guys.' Just like, 'Hey, sorry this didn't work out. Good luck.' You know what I mean?"
Watch that below starting at 40:50:
The Fever and Mercury will face off again at 10 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7, though this time in Phoenix.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sophie Cunningham Opens Up About DeWanna Bonner Exit, Crowd Boos.