Sex Toy Thrown Near Fever’s Sophie Cunningham in LA Game/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and Los Angeles Sparks was disrupted when a sex toy was thrown from the stands, landing near Sophie Cunningham. The forward, who has previously warned fans about the danger of such stunts, reacted with surprise but continued playing. The league reiterated that such behavior will lead to ejection, arrest, and a one-year ban.
The WNBA’s growing frustration over fan misconduct reached Los Angeles when a sex toy was thrown from the stands during the Indiana Fever’s matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks, landing near forward Sophie Cunningham.
The incident occurred with 2:05 remaining in the second quarter. The object landed in the lane close to Cunningham, who has been outspoken on social media about the dangers of throwing objects on the court. Startled, Cunningham jumped back, while Sparks guard Kelsey Plum quickly kicked the item into the stands to clear the floor.
Cunningham, who later laughed while talking to the Sparks bench, had previously warned that such acts could injure players.
Plum credited both teams and officials for keeping the game moving without escalation.
The Los Angeles incident is the latest in a string of similar episodes. According to social media reports, green-colored toys have been tossed in Phoenix and New York, though in those cases they did not reach the playing surface. At Barclays Center in Brooklyn, one object landed near a child.
The trend began a week earlier in Atlanta, where an object was thrown late in the fourth quarter of the Dream’s game against Golden State in College Park, Georgia. The fan responsible was arrested, ejected from the arena, and given a minimum one-year ban, the WNBA confirmed.
On Friday, a similar incident occurred in Chicago during the Golden State-Chicago Sky game. After a whistle stopped play in the third quarter, a sex toy was thrown under a basket. An official kicked it aside before removal. It is unclear if that fan was arrested.
In a statement, the WNBA reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance:
League officials emphasized that throwing objects not only interrupts play but endangers players, referees, and spectators, especially when thrown items could cause injury.
For Cunningham, the repeated nature of these incidents is especially frustrating. While she was able to laugh off Tuesday’s episode, her earlier warnings suggest a real concern for safety. The risk isn’t just physical injury—objects thrown from the stands can also create tense, unsafe environments for athletes, disrupting their focus and potentially escalating tensions in the arena.
The WNBA has made significant strides in increasing attendance and fan engagement in recent seasons, making it all the more important for the league to ensure that games remain safe and respectful for both players and attendees. Persistent issues like this risk overshadowing on-court performances and could lead to tighter arena security measures.
With similar incidents now reported in multiple cities in just over a week, league officials may face pressure to coordinate with arena security teams nationwide to prevent a repeat. Enhanced bag checks, increased camera monitoring, and stricter fan conduct enforcement could be implemented if the pattern continues.
For now, Cunningham and the Fever will move on from an unsettling moment in Los Angelesbut the message from the WNBA is clear: throw something onto the court, and you’ll be out of the arena—and possibly facing criminal charges—before the final buzzer.
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