Sex Toys Thrown Onto Court During WNBA Games for Second Straight Night as League Promises Bans and Prosecution
Three sex toys were hurled onto the court during the third quarter of the Chicago Sky's home game against the Golden State Valkyries on August 21, 2026 — the second consecutive night such disruptions marred a WNBA matchup. The Sky won 73-70, but the game will be remembered for the stoppage more than the scoreboard.
Chicago guard Natasha Cloud, who shot 5-for-5 from three-point range in the contest, did not hold back afterward. She called the acts "hate" directed at players that is "unwarranted," and described the men responsible as "lame," "weird," and "weak" (ESPN). Cloud said the incidents say more about the internal struggles of the individuals involved than about any collective group, and that the throwers' actions reveal their character (Yahoo Sports).
A similar disruption occurred the previous night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. A male spectator there was caught by arena security and given a lifetime ban from attending WNBA matches, according to the New York Times (BBC Sport). It is not yet clear whether those responsible for the Chicago incident have been identified.
The WNBA responded firmly. The league said any spectator caught throwing sex toys onto the court would be banned from the league and face prosecution (BBC Sport).
This is not a new problem. Last season, members of a meme-coin group — an online community organized around a novelty cryptocurrency — claimed responsibility for similar sex-toy-throwing incidents at WNBA games. USA Today reported that the same group said it will continue to disrupt WNBA games to protest the league's policy on transgender athletes (BBC Sport). There are no transgender athletes currently competing in the WNBA.
The league's collective bargaining agreement — the labor contract between the WNBA and its players' union — states plainly: "Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA" (BBC Sport). Recent comments from Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham questioning the league's current rules have nonetheless sparked intense debate in the US (BBC Sport).
For the Sky, the win moved them past a difficult night on their home floor. For the league, the challenge is keeping the focus on the game.
