What on earth is going on in the WNBA?
In the past two days there have been three viral moments, all of which have been chaotic in their own very unique ways.
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Chaos ensued all over the WNBA on Tuesday
On Monday, Phoenix Mercury guard/forward Kahleah Copper’s wig got caught as her teammate attempted to set a screen for her, which resulted in it being ripped from her head and onto the floor.
A fan was ejected from the game in the aftermath after allegedly making fun of the four-time WNBA All-Star’s mishap.
Sex toys and fly kicks stole the spotlight
But during Tuesday’s slate of games, there were two separate incidents, one of which took place during the Golden State Valkyries’ 77-75 victory on the road over the Atlanta Dream.
Late in the fourth quarter at The Gateway Center, with under a minute remaining, there was some commotion over a fluorescent green object that had been thrown onto the court.
It was quickly revealed to be a sex toy – after the camera operator zoomed in on it – which sparked a stern – but concise – reaction from the commentating broadcaster.
“Oh my gosh, okay…. Inappropriate,” the broadcaster could be heard saying. “Get them out of here, whoever it is.”
The game was subsequently halted abruptly, before a police officer working courtside received a piece of cloth from another fan in the stands, which she used to pick up the object and take it away.
In light of the bizarre incident, the PA then announced over the tannoy that any fan who was found to throw any kind of object onto the court would be subject to ejection.
With their narrow victory over the Dream, the Valkyries snapped a three-game skid on the road, picking up just their fourth win in 13 attempts away from the Chase Center.
Whilst this was all going on, over on the West Coast, Cameron Brink marked her return to the WNBA hardwood for the Los Angeles Sparks for the first time since tearing her ACL just 15 games into her rookie season.
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Dream guard Jordin Canada couldn’t hide her shock over the object thrown onto the court by a fanCredit: X/ @TWDTV1
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Sparky the mascot was caught in the crossfire of an unsuspecting dancerCredit: X/ @cjzero
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Sparky was later seen sporting a bandage on his headCredit: X/ @mdnFRESH1227
Whilst the godsibling of NBA superstar Stephen Curry posted a modest five points, three rebounds and an assist in 14 minutes as she ramps up her preparation to make her return back to full health, there was concern for the Sparks mascot after he was dealt a heavy blow to the face in their loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
Named Sparky the dog, the mascot was struck during a timeout by a dancer, who was doing a back handspring across the court, and was clattered to the hardwood.
Despite the hilarity of the whole ordeal, there was some concern that the person under the costume was hurt.
However, all appeared well for Sparky, as a fan later tweeted a picture of the mascot now sporting a bandage on his head, in a brilliant – and quick-thinking – piece of guerilla marketing.
Despite a late surge in the fourth quarter, with former Aces star Kelsey Plum scoring a team-high 22 points, five rebounds and eight assists, Las Vegas had already inflicted their damage early on.
This came after three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson exploded for a 34 point, 10 rebound double-double, whilst guard Jackie Young posted an 18-11-11 triple-double – the very first of her career.