The WNBA game between Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream was interrupted at the end by a neon green sex toy thrown on the court by a fan on Wednesday which led to a delay as officials contemplated their next step. Finally, a security officer removed the item away from the court using gloves and a towel. The incident happened with just 42.5 seconds left on the clock and both teams deadlocked at 75-75. The Valkyries then put the weird incident behind them and secured a narrow 77-75 victory.
“Well that is a first,” exclaimed the on-air commentator, taken aback by the object as the camera zoomed in on the cause of the interruption, before quickly panning away upon realising what it was.
Valkyries star players Cecilia Zandalasini and Tiffany Hayes were asked about the incident in the post-game media interaction where they could not stop chuckling. It was Zandalasini’s short baseline jumper with 3.9 seconds left that led to the victory.
Media reports in the USA stated that both WNBA players burst into giggles when asked by a journalist: “Did you guys notice something was thrown on the court?”
“I mean, first of all, it was super dangerous. And then when we found out what it was, I guess we just started laughing,” Zandalasini stated as Hayes, sitting by her side, laughed.
Zandalasini, who scored 18 points for the Valkyries, continued: “I’ve never seen anything like that. I’m just glad we worked through that situation. We stayed locked in, we stayed concentrated.”
“One of our players almost got hit with it, so that’s very dangerous,” Hayes commented before adding: “We persevered.”
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The incident led to plenty of jokes on social media, with even active WNBA players chiming in.
“Sorry I did NOT mean to throw that so far y’all,” Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson wrote on her X account.
“Aye yooooo what’s going on in ATL?” wrote Seattle Storm guard Erica Wheeler.
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