Fever's Sophie Cunningham reacts after latest incident of sex toy thrown onto WNBA court
Cunningham was nearly hit by a sex toy during Tuesday's game, the third such incident the WNBA has faced this week
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For the third time in a week, the WNBA is dealing with a sex toy being tossed on the floor during a game, this time nearly hitting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during Tuesday night's contest against the Los Angeles Sparks.
A fan was arrested last week after throwing a personal object on the court, and later the league put out a statement indicating any person who throws objects onto the court at future games would be ejected and face a minimum one-year ban.
Tuesday night's interruption nearly hit Cunningham by the free throw line at Crypto.com Arena. Sparks guard Kelsey Plum kicked the object off the playing surface and play resumed shortly later.
"I think it's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said after the game. "It's also dangerous and players' safety is No. 1. Respecting the game. All those things. I think it's really stupid. That's all I'm going to say."
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Following last week's second incident in Chicago, Cunningham posted on X to stop throwing objects on to the floor because "you're going to hurt one of us." After Tuesday's projectile landed past her feet, Cunningham reposted her request to nearly a quarter-million followers and said, "this did NOT age well."
Plum said she was glad officials moved on with play and the situation did not disrupt game flow.
The WNBA's fan code of conduct states that guests who throw objects will be immediately ejected from the arena. Guests who do not adhere to the code of conduct "will be subject to penalty including but not limited to, ejection, without refund, revocation of their season tickets, and/or prevention from attending future games."
"The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league," the WNBA said in a statement last week. "Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans. 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."
