Back in 2012, the Indiana Fever proved that grit could outmatch expectations. Injuries hit during the Finals, but Tamika Catchings and a fired-up bench still delivered the franchise’s only WNBA title. Now in 2025, Indiana finds itself back in the championship conversation, this time riding the high of Caitlin Clark’s arrival-and the pressure that comes with her.
Clark’s message since day one has been loud and clear: she came to win. From her introductory call to her sold-out homecoming game at Carver-Hawkeye, she’s repeated it like a mantra-“Championship.” And the team? They’ve echoed it every step of the way. The Fever are on more national broadcasts than ever, have the second-highest projected win total, and a starting lineup stacked with All-Stars. So when DeWanna Bonner casually dismissed the idea of pressure in a press conference, it set off a wave of frustration.
“I don’t know where the pressure come from,”Bonner said, smiling. “I don’t feel like we’re the hunted. We are the huntee.”
Her comment came during a routine media session but instantly went viral. While her intent might’ve been to keep the team grounded, many fans and analysts saw it as backpedaling.
When championship talk meets cold reality
The reaction was swift. Fans flooded social media to point out the contradiction. “Championship or bust” has been the unofficial slogan since Clark was drafted, and now, with veterans like Bonner and Natasha Howard in the mix, that goal feels within reach-on paper.
Even ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo chimed in, saying on Around the Rim, “That’s not the message this fanbase signed up for.”
It’s not just the hype. Indiana’s front office built this team with intent: shooters, defenders, playoff-tested leaders. The additions of Sydney Colson, Brianna Turner, and Sophie Cunningham weren’t about development-they were about winning now. And fans have bought in, fully.
So when Bonner, a two-time champ herself, says there’s no pressure? That feels like a disconnect.
Of course, preseason results show the Fever still have work to do. Missed defensive rotations, sloppy rebounding, and spacing issues are on Coach White’s radar. “Sometimes we were on top of one another,” she admitted to CBS Sports after their last tune-up.
Maybe Bonner’s just being honest. Maybe she’s trying to keep the team from burning out before opening night. But with Clark leading the charge and the entire WNBA world watching, downplaying expectations feels off-key.
The Fever aren’t underdogs this time. They’re the story. Now, they’ll need to prove they’re ready to live up to it.
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