How have WNBA players and staff responded to the dildo-throwing incidents?
Executive summary
Players, coaches and the WNBA have responded with anger, concern for safety, and calls for punishment after multiple incidents of green sex toys being thrown into or toward WNBA courts; the league warns of at least a one‑year ban and prosecution for anyone caught [1] [2]. Players such as Elizabeth Williams and Sophie Cunningham publicly called the acts “disrespectful” and warned they could cause injury, while coaches called the episodes “distractions” as arrests and investigations unfolded and a crypto-linked group claimed responsibility for some stunts [3] [1] [4].
1. Players call it disrespectful, unsafe and targeted
Several players spoke out immediately and directly. Chicago’s Elizabeth Williams called a sex‑toy toss “super disrespectful” [3] [5]. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham publicly begged fans to stop, warning “you’re going to hurt one of us” and later noting the incidents “did NOT age well” when a toy was thrown near her [1] [2]. Reporting characterizes a shift from jokey social‑media quips by some players to broader frustration that the stunt has become a sustained, potentially targeted harassment campaign against women athletes [1] [6].
2. Coaches and staff flag safety and distraction concerns
Head coaches and team staff framed the episodes as safety risks and distractions to a league already managing growth and labor negotiations. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve called the rising number of incidents a “distraction” [3]. News coverage emphasizes the league’s worry that flying objects can injure players, officials or fans and interrupt play, prompting officials to briefly stop games when toys landed near the baseline [7] [1].
3. League response: ejections, bans and promises of prosecution
The WNBA issued a strict reprimand: anyone who throws objects onto the court faces immediate ejection, a minimum one‑year ban and potential arrest and prosecution—steps the league said are necessary to protect player safety [1] [8]. Multiple outlets reported those policies alongside at least two arrests connected to the incidents, signaling the WNBA and local law enforcement were treating the acts as criminal disturbances in some cases [9] [10].
4. Players’ tone ranged from humor to outrage — and why that matters
Early viral clips produced some joking reactions from players — for example, Las Vegas’s Kierstan Bell made light of the neon toy’s sudden fame — but coverage shows that humor became strained as incidents multiplied and players reframed the behavior as hostile and misogynistic rather than harmless pranks [1]. That evolution matters because it changed public framing: from a strange meme moment to a deliberate campaign that many players view as an attack on the league’s legitimacy and safety [6].
5. Crypto ties and organized provocation deepen player concerns
Reporting links some of the incidents to a meme‑coin community dubbed Green Dildo Coin, whose backers publicly claimed responsibility for orchestrating stunts to generate attention for the token; ESPN and USA Today described chatroom planning and celebratory posts tied to games [4] [7]. Players and commentators interpreted those claims as evidence the acts were coordinated publicity stunts — an allegation that turns a series of isolated pranks into an organized campaign, raising the stakes for player safety and public perception [11] [6].
6. Legal and victim responses push for accountability
At least two arrests were reported: one person in connection with the Atlanta incident and a second, Kaden Lopez, accused of throwing a toy that hit a man and his 9‑year‑old niece [8] [9] [10]. Victims in the stands and league officials have sought prosecution; court documents and police reports described video evidence and alleged premeditation in at least one case, framing the acts as more than thoughtless fan misbehavior [9] [10].
7. Limits of current reporting and competing perspectives
Available sources document player outrage, league penalties and at least some arrests, but do not provide exhaustive proof that every incident was connected to the crypto group; some outlets report the group’s claim while noting the identities of perpetrators remain partly unconfirmed [4] [11]. Reporting also shows a range of player reactions—some jokey, some angry—but does not quantify how widespread each attitude is across the entire league [1] [6].
8. Why this matters beyond a headline stunt
Journalists and players underscore a broader implication: the stunt folded into existing patterns of online misogyny and harassment that professional women athletes already face, and it risks undermining the WNBA’s push for respect, better pay and growing audiences [6] [1]. The league’s swift disciplinary posture and arrests aim to deter copycats, but reporting makes clear players want cultural accountability as much as legal consequences [2] [1].