Following the release of longtime WNBA veteran DeWanna Bonner, the Indiana Fever made a corresponding move that has fans very excited.
The Fever announced on Wednesday morning that they resigned Aari McDonald after releasing Bonner, who had missed the previous five games for personal reasons. McDonald will have big shoes to fill with the departure of Bonner, the WNBA’s third all-time leading scorer.
McDonald played one year at Washington and three years at Arizona in college, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game during her college career. She was drafted third overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2021 WNBA Draft.
She played three years with the Dream, playing well including a breakout 2022 season where she averaged 11.1 points per game. In February of 2024, the Dream traded McDonald to the Los Angeles Sparks, where McDonald played in 26 games, averaging 8.7 points and 3.7 assists per game. She didn’t make the team in 2025, leading her to the Fever, where she signed on June 2 via an emergency hardship exception with the injuries to Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham.
She played in three games with the Fever across an eleven day stretch, averaging 11 points per game. She was released when Clark and Cunningham came back and now finds her way back onto the roster following the release of Bonner. She should be able to provide a scoring punch off the bench when Clark and Kelsey Mitchell take a breather and will help solidify the depth of a team chasing a championship. After an up and down WNBA career so far, McDonald will look to find a permanent home in Indiana and help bring a championship to the Fever.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Indiana Fever re-signing fan favorite guard Aari McDonald
Reporting by Zach Hiney, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
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