DeWanna Bonner Confronts Columnist Over DiJonai Carrington-Caitlin Clark Questioning

DeWanna Bonner Confronts Columnist Over DiJonai Carrington-Caitlin Clark Questioning

DeWanna Bonner’s protective streak took center stage during last season’s WNBA playoffs when she firmly challenged veteran USA Today columnist Christine Brennan over a line of questioning aimed at Bonner’s Connecticut Sun teammate, DiJonai Carrington. Brennan had asked Carrington whether she had intentionally swiped Indiana rookie phenom Caitlin Clark in the eye—and then laughed about it with Marina Mabrey—after social-media clips fueled that speculation.

As Brennan recounts in her forthcoming book On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports, the tension unfolded on Sept. 24, 2024, an off-day between Games 1 and 2 of the Sun–Fever series. Moments after Carrington wrapped up her media session, Bonner approached Brennan on the court, repeating that the journalist had “disrespected” and “attacked” her teammate. Brennan tried to introduce herself and even offered to replay the interview on her phone, but Bonner declined a handshake and restated her objection four times before walking away.

The episode rippled through the arena. A WNBA official later assured Brennan her questions were appropriate, but acknowledged many players arrive from college “shielded” from pointed media scrutiny. Tensions resurfaced the next day when Carrington, who was dating Fever forward NaLyssa Smith, accused Brennan and two other reporters of bad-mouthing Smith. Smith confronted Brennan, and the WNBA Players Association soon issued a statement accusing the columnist of baiting athletes to stoke hateful narratives—an assertion USA Today rejected while defending Brennan’s decades-long advocacy for women’s sports.

Although the spotlight soon shifted back to on-court action, the fallout lingered. Carrington was later traded to the Dallas Wings, while Bonner signed with Indiana to join forces with Clark before being released after nine games and entering free agency. Brennan’s book now revisits the clash as a case study in how the WNBA’s surging popularity is exposing players, coaches, and reporters alike to a more intense—and occasionally uncomfortable—media glare.