A sex toy landed near Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham after it was thrown from the stands in Los Angeles while the Fever played the Sparks on Tuesday night.
The incident in Los Angeles occurred with 2:05 left in the second quarter with the object landing in the lane near Cunningham, who had been vocal on social media about fans throwing the toys on the court. The Fever forward jumped back in surprise and then Kelsey Plum kicked it into the stands.
“I think its ridiculous, it’s dumb, it’s stupid,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “It’s also dangerous, and players’ safety is number one. Respecting the game. All those things. I think it’s really stupid.”
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Plum added that she thought both teams did a great job “playing on, don’t give it any attention. The refs too, I really appreciate them too, was just like ‘hey let’s go.'”
Cunningham walked over to the Sparks bench and was laughing about it.
According to social media posts, green toys were also thrown in Phoenix and New York but didn’t reach the courts. The one at Barclays Center landed near a child.
A similar incident took place a week ago, in the fourth quarter of the Atlanta Dream game against the Golden State Valkyries in College Park, Georgia. A fan was arrested, according to the WNBA, and was ejected from the arena and faced a minimum one-year ban.
On Friday, another sex toy was thrown in Chicago under a basket after a whistle was blown to stop play during the third quarter of Golden State’s 73-66 victory over the Chicago Sky. An official kicked the object aside before it was picked up and removed.
It’s unknown if the fan who threw the object at the Sky game was arrested.
Sky center Elizabeth Williams called the incidents “super disrespectful” and said the people who took part in the acts need to “grow up,” CBSSports.com reported.
“I mean, first of all, it was super dangerous,” Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini said after the Atlanta-Golden State tilt, according to CBSSports.com. “And then when we found out what it was, I guess we just started laughing. I’ve never seen anything like that. I’m just glad we worked through that situation. We stayed locked in. We stayed concentrated.”
New York Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison didn’t play in either of the first two games in which the incidents occurred, but she took to social media to criticize the people who threw the objects, as well as arena employees.
“ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??!” Harrison said. “Please do better. It’s not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.”
The WNBA said in a statement that, “The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans. In line with WNBA Arena Security Standards, any fan who intentionally throws an object onto the court will be immediately ejected and face a minimum one-year ban in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution by local authorities.”
