On Friday, the Golden State Valkyries’ 73-66 away win over the Chicago Sky was interrupted for an unusual reason. During the third quarter, the game was stopped after a bright green sex toy that was thrown on the court.
It’s the second time in four days that a WNBA game has been halted because of the issue. A similar sex toy was thrown onto the court in Atlanta on Tuesday, also during a Valkyries away game. That incident took place in the final minute of Golden State’s narrow 77-75 win over the Atlanta Dream.
“It’s super disrespectful,” Chicago center Elizabeth Williams said after Friday’s game, via the Chicago Tribune. “I don’t really get the point of it. It’s really immature. Whoever is doing it needs to grow up.”
With it becoming a repeat occurrence, other WNBA players are starting to sound off on the issue. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham took to X on Friday to speak on the safety risks. In Tuesday’s incident, the sex toy landed near the free throw line while both teams were in play, before bouncing to the sideline. (Friday’s landed past the baseline.)
“You’re going to hurt one of us,” Cunningham wrote.
Other players took a slightly more humorous tone to the odd interruption.
The WNBA has yet to comment on the incidents, while the Sky declined to comment at the time, per the Tribune.
Though unusual in the WNBA, sex toys have found their way into sports before. The Buffalo Bills have famously had a tradition of throwing them when they play the New England Patriots, and revived the tradition in 2022.
But it’s unlikely that the family-friendly WNBA will be happy with this turn of events, which raises questions both of player safety and arena security. It’s unclear how the league will respond or if the toys will keep flying in the meantime.