Kahleah Cooper Bats For DeWanna Bonner After Fever Crowd Boos; Gets Roasted By WNBA Fans For Being Soft

Kahleah Copper spoke her mind on DeWanna Bonner being loudly booed on her return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Kahleah Cooper Bats For DeWanna Bonner After Fever Crowd Boos; Gets Roasted By WNBA Fans For Being Soft

Kahleah Copper, DeWanna Bonner (FS Image)

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Apart from the Caitlin Clark injuries, one thing that has been bugging Indiana Fever fans all season is the DeWanna Bonner episode. The No. 3 scorer of all time in WNBA history, Bonner was signed to a max contract this offseason. The Fever brought her in and expected her to be a contributor to their title push. But Bonner did not play well in her short tenure, and after a rough patch, was benched by Stephanie White.

Soon after, it emerged that DeWanna Bonner wanted a trade away from the Fever. She wanted to join her wife Alyssa Thomas on the Phoenix Mercury – both had played together on the Connecticut Sun for many years. But no such trade transpired, and the Fever had to eventually buy out Bonner from her contract. She waited a few more days for the Mercury to gain enough cap space to sign her to a contract thereafter.

All of this led to the Fever fans having a really bad taste in their mouths with the whole episode. It looks increasingly likely that Bonner sabotaged her play during her own tenure in Indianapolis. This was despite her being stoutly supported by Caitlin Clark, who made every effort to try and make her feel welcome.

As the Phoenix Mercury came to Gainbridge Fieldhouse with Bonner in the lineup on Wednesday, she was loudly booed by all the Fever fans in the building. The Fever won the game 107-101 without Clark, to put the cherry on top for the home fans. Kahleah Copper addressed this animosity in the postgame presser.

Speaking on how DeWanna Bonner handled all the crowd noise, Kahleah Copper said:

I think she handled it well. I just don’t understand (the boos), she’s a legend, and all the things that she’s done for the league. And this is disrespect, I can’t get down with it. They booed her. She didn’t say a word to the crowd. People talked some trash to her, but we got her back. It’s just very distasteful for what their fanbase is doing as far as when it comes to DB because when it comes to her situation, it didn’t work for her.

WNBA Twitter piles on Kahleah Copper for her DeWanna Bonner take; calls her soft

There is no denying that a player facing boos from opponent crowds is a part of the modern sports spectacle. Hating on and downplaying a common enemy has been a theme of human nature ever since the time of gladiators and lion fighters in the Roman Empire. Women’s basketball is certainly no different to men’s basketball or other sports and leagues where crowds boo opposition players with a history.

With all of that said, WNBA fans did not take kindly to the efforts of Kahleah Copper to pin this as a shortcoming of the character of Indiana Fever fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Many called her out for not being tougher and accepting the boos, especially given the acrimonious nature of Bonner’s exit and all the passive-aggressive stuff that she, her teammates and the Phoenix Mercury have posted in the interim.

It is quickly becoming clear that many players and people associated with the WNBA are unaccustomed to having a large fanbase following the league and engaging in normal behaviors associated with sports fans. If they want to have a larger following and reach more people, they will also need to develop a tougher skin and reconcile themselves to what these boos emanate from.

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