DeWanna Bonner confronted USA TODAY columnist Christine Brennan with the same message four times during last year\u2019s WNBA playoffs, according to a new book.<\/p>\n
After Brennan asked Sun forward DiJonai Carrington\u00a0if she had intentionally hit rookie sensation Caitlin Clark in the eye<\/a> while defending a pass and then laughed about it with teammate Marina Mabrey after the fact \u2014 as social media had begun to speculate through interpretations of videos \u2014 Bonner took offense on Carrington\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n In an excerpt from her upcoming book \u201cOn Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women\u2019s Sports\u201d published Sunday by CNN<\/a>, Brennan tells the behind-the-scenes story of Sept. 24, 2024 during an off day of the Sun-Fever playoff series.<\/p>\n DeWanna Bonner (24) and DiJonai Carrington (21) with the Sun last season. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n Just a couple of minutes after Carrington\u2019s interview session was over and she walked away, I was standing near the other reporters at the side of the court when her teammate DeWanna Bonner walked toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cYou disrespected my teammate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n I put out my hand and tried to introduce myself, but Bonner did not want to shake it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou attacked my teammate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n I motioned to my phone in my hand. \u201cCan I tell you what I said?<\/p>\n I was happy to show her the video I had just taken of Carrington\u2019s answers to my questions. I again tried to introduce myself since Bonner and I had never met, but Bonner wanted no part of that.<\/p>\n \u201cYou attacked my teammate,\u201d she said again.<\/p>\n I tried to introduce myself once more. \u201cI asked her a question to give her a chance to respond to a controversy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou disrespected my teammate,\u201d Bonner said again, walking away.<\/p>\n Bonner never raised her voice, nor did I.\u00a0<\/p>\n USA Today columnist Christine Brennan. Getty Images<\/p>\n Brennan\u2019s questions and Carrington\u2019s indignant denials became news at the time. News of the interview and Bonner\u2019s more private reaction to it both quickly reached a WNBA official.<\/p>\n \u201cYour questions were fine,\u201d the official told Brennan, per the book. \u201cUnfortunately, most of our players have zero idea what real media exposure is. They don\u2019t know what real coverage is, they have been shielded at college and then they come to the WNBA not knowing what real questions are. Frankly, our players just don\u2019t get it.\u201d<\/p>\n Tensions spilled into the next day \u2014 before Game 2 of the series \u2014 when Carrington accused Brennan and two other journalists of \u201ctalking sh\u2014\u201d about NaLyssa Smith of the Fever. Carrington and Smith are partners but were playing head-to-head in the series.<\/p>\n Caitlin Clark goes down after getting hit in the eye during a WNBA playoff game against the Sun on Sept. 22, 2024. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n A Sun communications manager and Mabrey pulled Carrington away as she accused Brennan of saying Smith is \u201ca bad teammate.\u201d<\/p>\n As word traveled around the arena in what was described as \u201ca bad game of \u2018Telephone,\u201d Smith challenged Brennan.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have something to say to me?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n When Brennan said nothing negative was said, Smith accused her of lying.<\/p>\n