When Sex Toys Fly: The WNBA’s Weirdest Week Ever

It sounds like a bad punchline. A bright green sex toy flew onto the court in the middle of a WNBA game. But this was no joke—it happened, and then it kept happening. Fans throwing things at games isn’t new and happens in male sports leagues all the time, but this reached a different level of absurd.

In the span of a week, sex toys thrown during games became the league’s strangest trend. Late in the fourth quarter of a July 29th, 2025, WNBA game in College Park between the Atlanta Dream and the (new) Golden State Valkyries, a fan hurled a dildo onto the court.

A few days later, another sex toy hit under a basket at a Chicago Sky game. And yet another nearly beaned Indiana Fever forward Rickea Jackson in Los Angeles. There were even attempts in New York and Phoenix that didn’t quite reach the basketball court. Good thing these sex toys were not in disguise! What began as a seemingly isolated incident turned into a full-on circus of copycat chaos.

League and Players React

The WNBA responded swiftly and severely to these repeated incidents. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called the trend of throwing sex toys “reckless and unacceptable behavior” and warned that any fan caught will face immediate ejection, a one-year ban, and possible arrest. The league is working with local and federal law enforcement to pursue charges, including potential felony charges, against anyone involved.

Players and commentators alike were livid. Sky center Elizabeth Williams said the stunt was “super disrespectful,” and whoever did it needs to grow up. Across the league, stars echoed that sentiment in social media posts about the copycat incidents, stressing that it raised safety concerns – any object tossed at players is a hazard.

Coaches weighed in too. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve put it bluntly: This ‘has been going on for centuries – the sexualization of women… is what’s used to hold women down, and this is no different. It’s not funny. It should not be the butt of jokes.” In other words, the trend highlights that sex antics aren’t just immature pranks – they’re part of an age-old misogyny and patriarchy aimed at female athletes. The message from the WNBA community was crystal clear: knock it off and let them ball in peace.

 

[Sex Toys And The WMBA Infographic]

“We ran an Instagram poll, and 100% said they’d laugh and hit record if a sex toy flew onto the court.”

Two Men Arrested, Pranksters Unmasked

Unsurprisingly, authorities didn’t find any of this funny. So far, two men – both young men firmly rooted in Gen Z meme culture – have been arrested in connection with the flying sex toys.

In Georgia, police nabbed a 23-year-old man after an incident at the Atlanta Dream’s home arena and charged him with disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and public indecency. Yes, tossing a dildo can earn an indecent exposure charge. He admitted the stunt was totally unacceptable and claimed it was meant as a joke to “go viral.”

In Phoenix, officers caught an 18-year-old after he threw a toy at a Mercury game and hit a spectator in the back. He told police it was a “prank” he saw trending online. They arrested him on the spot for suspected assault and publicly displaying explicit sexual material. The Liberty told the Associated Press there’s also an ongoing investigation into the New York incident. These goofballs clearly didn’t expect to end up with criminal records over a flying dildo, but here we are.

Crypto Bros Claim Responsibility for Sex Toy Prank

Just when it seemed things couldn’t get weirder, the crypto bros showed up. A self-described community of cryptocurrency meme-coin enthusiasts claimed they orchestrated the chaos. Yes, seriously—this wasn’t random fans, but a coordinated stunt to pump a joke crypto coin. Posts in the group’s Telegram chat showed they plotted to use the WNBA’s spotlight for their own gain. They even streamed the Dream game in their chat and cheered when one member hurled the first toy

According to one member of the group, the WNBA’s popularity made the league a logical target for a viral prank. The group told CNN they chose a high-profile women’s league in the headlines due to their online culture – hijacking attention that was already there. They created a neon-green “dildo coin” right before the first incident, hoping the ensuing buzz would boost its value.

The stunt wasn’t just for giggles, either – they tried to cash in, instead of keeping their sex toys discreet. They even turned it into a twisted bet related to a game of sports gambling – using an online betting site to wager on when the next sex toy would hit a WNBA court.

It’s hard to get more absurd (and unethical) than betting on your own crime. And for good measure, the chaos even spilled beyond basketball: during a major league baseball game in Miami, a woman in the stands was spotted waving a green dildo behind home plate. The trolls clearly wanted to prove their goofy influence knows no bounds.

Memes, Misogyny, and Culture War Collide

This ridiculous saga has also highlighted the larger American culture war that surrounds women’s sports. Online trolls – notably Donald Trump Jr among them – couldn’t resist chiming in. Trump Jr. posted a bizarre meme photoshopping his father tossing a green dildo off the White House roof onto a WNBA court. (Because of course he did.) Plenty of fans were outraged at the irony – the same people who claim to support women’s sports were laughing as female athletes were humiliated.

It’s not just fringe internet dudes, either. Longtime sports columnist Christine Brennan (of USA Today, and a CNN contributor) argued that these acts amounted to sexual harassment of the players! it’s a way to degrade a league full of Black and queer women under the guise of a “prank.” She noted that it reveals an ugly truth about a still hateful society that finds humor in publicly belittling successful women. (And this at a time when the WNBA has enjoyed record breaking viewing figures and new heights of popularity.)

Even WNBA players tried to make the best of a bad situation. The trend pushed LSU’s flamboyant young star Angel Reese to crack a joke on X (Twitter). Reese teased Fever guard Sydney Colson, asking if she was the culprit: “Why do you keep throwing your mean green in different arenas… it’s getting weird,” she wrote. The players found a bit of dark humor in it, but they were just as fed up as anyone.

The Last Laugh: Putting an End to the Sex Toy Madness

In the end, the WNBA survived its weirdest week ever! A week of flying phalluses, meme-coin schemers, and a united front from the league and fans against the nonsense. Now, as the dust and silicone settle, everyone hopes this bizarre trend has finally burned out. Let’s hope the next WNBA headline is about a highlight-reel play or a championship win, not a rogue sex toy.  Sounds like they need a complete guide to sex toys, to me.

The women of the WNBA are incredible women athletes who deserve our respect. So keep the antics in your group chats and out of their games. Let these athletes play without distraction. The WNBA has weathered this wild storm – now it’s back to our regularly scheduled programming: basketball.