The Indiana Fever are kicking off their season this week with training camp, and 2-time WNBA Champion DeWanna Bonner, who signed with the team during free agency in early 2025, says they've got a secret weapon a lot of other teams in the league just can't tap into: youth.
While speaking to reporters during the first day of training camp on Sunday, April 27, Bonner joked that the team has a lot of "young legs." But she shifted gears nearly immediately and emphasized that the youthful makeup of the team is going to play a major role in propelling the Fever as far as they want to go.
The Fever has "a lot of firepower, a lot of weapons," Bonner told reporters. "It's really, really hard to win in this league and you need that these days." Every team in the WNBA is excellent, she added, so the Fever needs every advantage the team can get.
Don't underestimate the Fever's youth this season
Bonner also clarified that just because the team's young it doesn't mean they can't hustle, and it would be a mistake to underestimate the Fever heading into this season. Everyone at training camp understands "what it takes."
"They want to get to the next level," she added. And when it comes to the next level, Bonner knows exactly the kind of hard work that's required. Bonner was part of the Mercury squad that won the championships in 2009, when the team faced off against, coincidentally, the Indiana Fever.
The first game was held at home in Phoenix, and the Mercury shut down the Fever 120-116 in what was then the highest-scoring game in WNBA history. Bonner, who was a rookie that season, helped seal the deal for the Mercury by hitting two free throws with 14 seconds on the clock. The team would go on to lose game 2 and game 3, but managed to pull off the victory with wins in games 4 and 5. Bonner was back in a championship match in 2014, and this time the Mercury squared off against the Chicago Sky. The Mercury swept the Sky in all 3 games, including the final at home.
Though the team is young, Bonner also told reporters, "they want to be better, they want to be a great team." Everyone is looking to her as a leader, something Bonner appeared to appreciate. "[I'm] just trying to give all the knowledge I can," she said, "but also to save my breath because they're fast!"
It's different, it's definitely different because you go from playing with an older group in Connecticut to a younger group. But the most impressive thing I think is they don't want it to be better. They want to be a great team. They want to be a great organization. They want the leadership. So just all eyes looking at me like, okay, maybe what do you want to do next? And everybody just been receptive of me being a leader and just trying to give all the knowledge I can. But also save my breath because they're fast. [LAUGH] They run a lot.