Angel Reese pointed out the individual who threw the toy onto the court. Todd Kirkland / Getty Images
Aug. 21, 2026 Updated 7:18 pm EDT
The individual who tossed a green sex toy onto the court during a game between the Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream on Thursday has been arrested and indefinitely banned from all WNBA, NBA and affiliated league games and events, a league source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Athletic.
The person hurled the toy during the third quarter of the Dream’s 124-88 win, recalling a trend that began last season when objects were thrown onto the court at various games. The sex toy was tossed in front of the Sparks bench as Los Angeles forward Jihyun Park was at the free-throw line.
Before Park attempted her free throw, a referee blew her whistle to stop play. Dream forward Angel Reese quickly pointed out the perpetrator from her seat on the bench; security removed the toy, and arena security apprehended the spectator. In video footage that surfaced on social media, the perpetrator tried to flee the arena after being accused, but police quickly detained the individual.
The league declined to identify the perpetrator, and The Athletic has reached out to LAPD to determine whether charges were filed and will update this story if it responds.
The WNBA plans to work closely with law enforcement to hold individuals accountable for throwing objects onto the court, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Sex toys being thrown onto the court became an issue last season in July, when an object was thrown onto the court across six games, including in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Phoenix and Los Angeles. Police arrested two people — 18-year-old Kaden Lopez in Phoenix and 23-year-old Delbert Carver in Georgia — as they were behind a group money scheme with cryptocurrency.
Aug 22, 2026
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