If you were watching the WNBA last season, you likely remember a series of incidents when fans in attendance at games threw sex toys (dildos) on the court during competition.
While this had not been seen happening again during the 2026 WNBA season, that changed in Thursday’s matchup between Angel Reese’s Atlanta Dream and the Los Angeles Sparks.
During the third quarter, with the Dream leading the Sparks 84-53, a man allegedly tossed a green dildo on to the court and interrupted play.
Los Angeles Sparks forward Jihyun Park was preparing to shoot a free throw when the sex toy hit the court and bounced in front of her feet.
WNBA referees quickly paused play, while the green toy was removed from the court so that the game could resume.
Reese and others in attendance at Crypto.com Arena quickly pointed out the alleged thrower, who was later arrested, per The Athletic.
Video of the incident can be seen below.
“This is sexual harassment and dehumanizing,” one X user wrote.
A reporter in attendance also captured video of the alleged culprit attempting to run away before he could be identified by arena staff and police. The man appeared to push an arena staff member out of the way during his attempt to flee.
When one of these incidents occurred during a Minnesota Lynx game last season, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve forcefully spoke out.
“Obviously you guys know what the object is,” Reeve said. “I just want to comment on … this has been going on for centuries, the sexualization of women. This is the latest version of that and it’s not fun.”
“It should not be the butt of jokes in any radio shows in print or any comments. The sexualization of women is what’s used to hold women down, and this is no different,” she continued.
“The people who are doing this should be held accountable. We are not the butt of the joke. They are the problem.”
Some of the green dildos thrown on the court last year may have been linked to a memecoin community group called “Green Dildo Coin,” as they attempted to use the attention to increase the value of its cryptocurrency.
As of now, it is unclear if the man arrested at Thursday’s Dream-Sparks game had any connection to last season’s incidents.
Atlanta defeated the Sparks 124-88, winning its second game in a row after a heartbreaking overtime loss to Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
