WNBA announces arrest of fan who threw sex toy, warns of consequences

The WNBA revealed Saturday that the fan who threw a sex toy onto the court during a game between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries has been arrested, according to ESPN. The league also announced that any person who throws an object onto the court in the future will be ejected from the arena and face a minimum ban of one year.

The incident occurred late in the fourth quarter of a tie game on Tuesday at Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia. Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes hoisted a 3-point shot, and it was blocked by the Dream’s Maya Caldwell. As Golden State collected the rebound, a lime green object flew from the stands and landed harmlessly near the free-throw line.

The object, which turned out to be a lime green sex toy, sat near midcourt while a few arena officials came over to check it out. Thankfully, no players were hit by it and it was eventually removed from the court.

“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,” the WNBA said in a statement. “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.”

Surprisingly, the game between the Valkyries and Dream was only the beginning of such instances. Three days later, another sex toy of the exact same color was thrown onto the court in a game between the Valkyries and Chicago Sky during the third quarter at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

An official quickly kicked it beneath the goal before a stadium employee covered it with a towel and removed it from the area. It’s unclear whether the fan that threw the second sex toy was arrested.

Either way, the WNBA’s response in addressing the matter and subsequent arrest of the first fan sends a strong message from the league. Sky forward Elizabeth Williams also called out the fans for being “super disrespectful” in her postgame press conference Friday.

“I don’t really get the point of it,” she said. “It’s really immature. Whoever is doing it needs to grow up.”

We’ll see whether this response from the league can prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. The WNBA security procedure is to search every bag allowed into the arena, and many venues even have a no-bag policy.