The Washington Mystics' 94-84 road victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, Aug. 25 was briefly interrupted in the first half after an object was thrown on the court at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
The incident happened with 2:12 remaining in the second quarter as the Mercury possessed the ball. Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas was looking for an open teammate when a green object was thrown in the paint, drawing boos from the crowd and initial confusion on the broadcast.
A referee immediately whistled the play dead as arena personnel placed a towel over the green object and carried it off the court. The individual who threw the object was identified and apprehended by arena security, a person with direct knowledge of situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
Obscure object thrown on the court at #Mercury vs #Mystics in Phoenix.
The object was quickly covered & the person who allegedly threw it was removed. @Sports360AZpic.twitter.com/Tocd6MYAK5
Tuesday's disturbance marks the third occurrence around the league this week alone. A green sex toy was thrown on the court during the Atlanta Dream's 124-88 road victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 20. The individual was arrested and banned from all WNBA, NBA and affiliated league games and events. One day later, multiple sex toys landed on the court in the Chicago Sky's 73-70 home victory against the Golden State Valkyries. Players stood on the court as arena personnel removed what appeared to be three of the items from the court.
In 2025, the WNBA endured a two-week stretch in which six sex toys were tossed onto the hardwood across six games. The group that claimed responsibility then is claiming responsibility for the latest disruption.
The people behind it all are a group of crypto enthusiasts and traders. Last year, they told USA TODAY Sports that they launched their meme coin as a joke to protest what they described as a "toxic" environment in the crypto world. They told USA TODAY Sports they tossed the sex toys onto courts during WNBA games to generate attention for their meme coin by pulling off “viral stunts to save us from having to pay that influencer cabal.”
This time, the group said it’s throwing sex toys for a different reason, inserting itself into the debate swirling around the WNBA regarding transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
The group said it will continue to interrupt games by tossing sex toys onto the court until the WNBA “defines what a woman is by biological sex” or “explicitly states that only biological women can compete” in the league.Although no transgender women play in the WNBA, the league has become a lightning rod for the topic following comments made by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in an ESPN story.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Washington Mystics' win over Phoenix Mercury interrupted by object thrown on court
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