The 2025 WNBA season saw heated debates flare online, especially around the Phoenix Mercury’s finals run. Only recently, former WNBA player and two-time NCAA champion Val Whiting sparked a firestorm by defending DeWanna Bonner against Caitlin Clark and a Fever fan’s criticism.
While shutting down a noisy social media fan, Whiting pointed to Clark’s negative plus-minus to put forward Bonner’s value. Earlier, Clark and Bonner had a heated altercation on the court. Now, fans are going after each other and picking sides. While she might not be wrong, let’s first see if the stats really speak for themselves.
Val Whiting Puts Caitlin Clark Analogy To Defend DeWanna Bonner
While the Mercury gave away all they had in the WNBA Finals series against a mighty Las Vegas Aces, Bonner faced backlash from some Fever fans after her brief stint with Indiana. However, Whiting’s defense of her Mercury tenure, using Clark’s stats as a comparison, shifted the narrative.
Recently, Whiting’s bold clapback came in response to a fan’s claim that Bonner dragged the Mercury down. The fan argued Phoenix could have won the 2025 WNBA title without her, pointing to her negative plus-minus during her time with the team.
“Her plus/minus was negative for the entirety of the time she was with the Mercury. What are basing your statement on?” the fan tweeted.
Her plus/minus was negative for the entirety of the time she was with the Mercury. What are basing your statement on?
— Chandler (@BurkhartsBoard) October 11, 2025
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However, Whiting swiftly countered, leveraging Caitlin Clark’s stats to make her case. She noted Clark’s -1.6 plus-minus for the 2024 season, per WNBA.com, compared to Bonner’s +1.4 with the Mercury in 2025.
“Caitlin Clark had a negative plus minus last season and she made her team better,” the basketball legend tweeted.
Caitlin Clark had a negative plus minus last season and she made her team better.
— Val Whiting, MA (@iamcoachval) October 12, 2025
This comparison flipped the script on the fan’s critique. She argued that Bonner’s +3.6 plus-minus in the playoffs, a team-high, proved her worth. The Mercury star averaged 14.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in the finals, stepping up despite Phoenix’s sweep by A’ja Wilson’s Aces.
Caitlin Clark Already Working For 2026 WNBA Season
While the plus-minus comparison does not quite sit with the Fever rookie, Caitlin Clark is taking long strides to set the stage for a transformative 2026. A left quad strain on May 24, a left groin injury on June 24, and a right groin injury on July 15, sidelined her for 27 games and the All-Star Game.
She announced on September 4 that she’d miss the rest of the season, including the playoffs. Yet, Clark turned adversity into opportunity, focusing on how she could improve. Recently, Clark clarified her stance on Team USA basketball duties even before the WNBA offseason was in full flow.