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Nothing breaks the tension of a tied WNBA basketball game late in the fourth quarter quite like a lime green dildo.
Such a sex toy made its way onto the court at the Gateway Center Arena at College Park on Tuesday, July 29, as the Atlanta Dream and visiting Golden State Valkyries were tied in the final minute of their game.
The — ahem — anatomy of the play was actually quite impressive from both teams and the officials. The moment happened just after Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes had her shot blocked and teammate Veronica Burton recovered the ball. The dildo actually struck the floor just feet from where Burton was dribbling, bouncing away from the play and into the backcourt.
It’s not clear whether the players noticed the projectile immediately, as the referees signaled play would continue until either a dead ball or the action moved to where the dildo had penetrated the area of play.
Seconds later, an out of bounds call allowed everyone to stop and see what the object actually was. The broadcast showed a police officer standing in front of it, with Dream part-owner Renee Montgomery standing beside her.
The camera operator apparently didn’t realize what it was either, as the broadcast then zoomed in on the dildo before quickly cutting away. The police officer then used a towel to pick it up and carry it off the court.
Though the players were seen trying not to laugh in the moment, they made it clear in the postgame press conference that the unidentified fan’s actions were dangerous.
“I mean, first of all, it was super dangerous. And then when we found out what it was, I guess we just started laughing,” Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini said. “I’ve never seen anything like that. I’m just glad we worked through that situation. We stayed locked in, we stayed concentrated.”
“Yeah, one of our players almost got hit with it, so that’s very dangerous,” Hayes added. “We persevered.”
While fans are known to push the boundaries of acceptable behavior around the sports world, throwing items — any items — onto the court or field is a line that is rarely crossed. When it happens, the fan in question is almost always identified and ejected from the stadium.
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time a dildo has interrupted professional sports. The Buffalo Bills had something of a dildo-throwing epidemic during games against the New England Patriots from 2016 to 2018.
As for the WNBA, this appears to be a first. Of note, the Valkyries won the game, 77-75, which is certainly more important than the question of how the fan responsible smuggled the dildo into the arena in the first place.
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