An unexpected timeout was called in the July 26 matchup between the Phoenix Mercury and the Washington Mystics when Phoenix guard Kahleah Copper experienced a mishap midgame that was quickly shared across social media platforms.
Late in the third quarter, with the Mercury on offense, Copper made a sharp move around a teammate's screen to get open. But as she drove toward the perimeter, her wig got stuck on Mystics guard Jade Melbourne in the chaos, slipping off and falling to the floor.
A WNBA player’s wig fell off and they ejected a fan for “making fun”
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) July 28, 2025
The WNBA is SOFT pic.twitter.com/4hG2tIgE4a
Copper quickly turned around and grabbed the hairpiece and headed towards the locker room as officials paused the game and called a timeout. “Oh no,” the games broadcaster said on the call, reacting live as the moment unfolded. “Oh no, oh no, she’s going to head to the back. Oh no.”
The moment was out of the ordinary and while most in attendance did not make a spectacle of it, one fan apparently mocked the situation. Copper’s teammates had gathered around officials pointing out the offender.
“They made fun of her for the situation on the floor,” the refs and officials can be heard saying to each other and arena security confronted the man and escorted him out.
WNBA star Kahleah Copper’s wig falls off mid-game — and fan gets ejected for mocking her https://t.co/fRYOGvlsIv pic.twitter.com/sn2WupWcOx
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) July 29, 2025
This was not the first slip-up Copper had with her hairpiece though. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Aces star A’ja Wilson was seen helping Copper adjust her wig after a spill she took in a game overseas.
Wilson responded to a tweet shared online calling her ‘“top tier” for helping her Olympic teammate saying, “We don’t play about that over hereeeee.” Copper––appreciating the support––then reacted to Wilson’s post saying, “A realllll oneeeeeee.”
A’One behavior from A’ja Wilson. So glad Kahleah Copper is okay. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/xV77wMSLNW
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) July 31, 2024
Despite the interruption in Sunday’s game, Copper returned to the court composed and locked in. She helped the Mercury extend their lead to double digits by the end of the third quarter. Phoenix went on to close out the game with an 88–72 win.
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