Sex toys thrown on court during two consecutive WNBA games; spectator banned

A green sex toy landed on the court, forcing officials to stop play while it was removed. The Sky won 73-70. The disruption occurred as Sparks guard Park Ji-hyun was preparing to take a free throw. BBC Sport reports that a male spectator at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles was caught by arena security and, according to the New York Times reporting cited by BBC Sport, will receive a lifetime ban from attending WNBA matches. It is not yet clear if those responsible for the Chicago disruption have been caught, per BBC Sport. BBC Sport reports that similar incidents occurred last season between July and August, when six WNBA matches in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles were interrupted. Last season, members of a meme-coin group claimed responsibility for those incidents. USA Today, as reported by BBC Sport, cited the same group as saying it will continue to disrupt WNBA games to protest the league's policy on transgender athletes. Natasha Cloud, a 34-year-old guard for the Chicago Sky, responded to the disruptions. According to BBC Sport, Cloud said the men throwing the sex toys were "lame" and "weird," and added: "It says more about the internal struggles of that individual than it ever will say about a collective group. The men that are throwing it, it also shows that you are weak, extremely weak. And it says a lot about how you feel about women." The WNBA announced that any spectator caught throwing sex toys on to the court would be banned from the league and face prosecution, per BBC Sport. BBC Sport also reports that there are no transgender athletes currently competing in the league, and that recent comments from Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham questioning the current eligibility rules have sparked intense debate in the US. The WNBA's collective bargaining agreement, according to BBC Sport, states: "Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA."