Former teammates Sophie Cunningham and DeWanna Bonner got into a heated altercation on Monday. The past tension reached a breaking point during the Indiana Fever vs. Phoenix Mercury game, resulting in multiple technical fouls.

The incident happened in the fourth quarter as the tension between former teammates escalated during a play involving Caitlin Clark. During a play with just over seven minutes remaining in the last period, Clark got tangled with Bonner, who was calling for a pass with a size advantage.

As per video posted by Underdog WNBA on X, seconds later, Bonner violently shrugged off Clark's hands, who was also called for a foul. However, the Fever star wasn't happy with Bonner and started talking back to Bonner. Seconds later, Mercury's Alyssa Thomas escalated by shouldering Clark from behind.

Officials slapped Clark with a technical foul for "clapping and instigating." Then the enforcer entered the fray. Cunningham and Bonner kept pointing fingers at each other, and the security had to intervene to separate them.

The chaos drew five technicals, including an ejection for Hines-Allen after a second infraction. Cunningham and Bonner received double technicals. Fever's Myisha Hines-Allen and Mercury's Alyssa Thomas also received double technicals for their involvement in the altercation.

Bonner shot the free throw for Clark's technical, but missed it. Just a few seconds later, Hines-Allen was hit with a technical foul again for arguing with Bonner, resulting in automatic ejection.

Sophie Cunningham and the Fever share a tense past with DeWanna Bonner

The tension between DeWanna Bonner and the Fever squad goes back to last season. Bonner was one of the biggest offseason additions for Indiana in the hope of capitalizing on her veteran experience.

However, as Bonner fell out of Fever coach Stephanie White's starting lineup, she grew more uncomfortable. In mid-season, she stepped away from the team citing "personal reasons," after appearing in just nine games for the team.

The team waived her, and Bonner ended up teaming with her former Connecticut Sun teammate Alyssa Thomas in Phoenix.

Cunningham later said that she wasn't happy with how Bonner left without showing any professional courtesy.

"Send a text 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?" she said on her Show Me Something podcast. "There’s a way [for Bonner] to handle that, I think."

The Fever and the Mercury will face each other two more times this season. After Monday's loss, Bonner will be more determined to show up, and the Fever will continue their revenge mode on the WNBA veteran.

Do you think the Fever vs Mercury can become the next big rivalry in the WNBA? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi