Over the past five years, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has gone from a struggling and underpaid league to a dominating force in U.S. sports. The journey wasn’t easy, with coaches and players facing discrimination, struggling ticket sales, and a battle for equal pay they’re still fighting. But the WNBA’s most recent issue is a baffling one that started as an immature joke and has quickly morphed into a safety hazard: lime-green dildos being thrown onto the court. 

The first time a fluorescent sex toy was tossed onto the court during a game between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries, most people — players included — had a laugh. There was less than a minute left on the clock, and the game was only paused for a few seconds, long enough for a security guard to cover the dildo with a towel and remove it, to giggles from the surrounding crowd. “It was super dangerous, [but] when we found out what it was, I guess we just started laughing,” Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini said in a postgame interview, covering her smile while fellow teammate Tiffany Hayes tried to hold in laughter next to her. “I’ve never seen anything like that. I’m just glad we worked through that situation. We stayed locked in, we stayed concentrated.” The jokes flew on social media after the incident. “Damn how my shit get there,” Las Vegas Aces player Kierstan Bell joked when the green offender quickly went viral on social media. Players like Bell, Indiana Fever point guard Sydney Colson, and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese all made quips on social media about the sex toy’s appearance on the jumbotron. 

But the joke has since gotten stale, as four more dildos were thrown by unnamed spectators toward WNBA courts. (One did not make it to interrupt gameplay but hit people in the crowd instead.) Since going viral, jokes about the green dildos have flooded sites like X and TikTok. Sports gambling site Polymarket is even accepting bets on what games the next dildo will appear — and what color it could be. 

It’s unclear who threw the first sex toy or why they did it, though this afternoon, The Athletic reported that it may be connected to a memecoin. Either way, the repeated appearance of other green phalluses on courts has WNBA officials concerned that the the prank is becoming a viral trend, inspiring others to repeat the joke at future games. In addition to being NSFW, sex toys hitting the court during active play could put players at risk for everything from distractions and minor sprains to career-ending injuries.

“The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league,” a WNBA spokesperson said in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. “Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans.” Anyone who is caught attempting to throw anything onto the court can receive at minimum a one-year ban from WNBA games in addition to arrest and potential prosecution by police.

On Saturday, police in Georgia arrested 23-year-old Delbert Carver, ESPN reported, for allegedly throwing a dildo onto the court during the Valkyries-Dream matchup. Carver faces counts of indecent exposure, trespassing, and disorderly conduct, according to ESPN. He does not yet have a court date.

On Tuesday, Fox10 Phoenix reported that Kaden Lopez, 18, was arrested at a Phoenix Mercury game in Arizona after allegedly trying to throw a green dildo on the court and hitting a man and his niece instead. According to local news, he told police it was a “stupid prank that was trending on social media.” Lopez faces charges for assault, public indecency, and disorderly conduct. 

Since the dildo-throwing has ratcheted up, league insiders have shifted from being somewhat amused to downright concerned, with players and coaches calling the trend dangerous and a hazard for players. “It’s ridiculous, it’s dumb, it’s stupid,” Los Angeles Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said in a postgame interview. “It’s also dangerous. Player safety is number one, respecting the game, all those things. I think it’s really stupid.” Sky player Elizabeth Williams in an interview called the joke “disrespectful and immature. I don’t really get the point of it. Whoever’s doing it just needs to grow up.”

In an op-ed, Athletic writer Shannon Ryan called the pranks an attempt to sexually demean WNBA players at the same time people are finally starting to acknowledge their athletic prowess — especially considering the league is known for its “openly gay and queer players.” 

“The [WNBA] has been lauded for its world-renowned athletes, but there’s no denying it’s also frequently used for bad-faith arguments about gender, race, and sexuality. Misogyny in women’s sports — like in society — is often subtle,” she wrote. “However, in this instance, the message … is loud and clear. This is not just a prank or an opportunistic viral moment, but another attempt to demean women in sports.” 

Legitimacy: This seems to be what has so many WNBA players and staff frustrated about this viral incident. Even more people are talking about the WNBA, but this time, it’s not about their skill. It’s about people — and a lot of men — turning the idea of some of the best basketball players in the country getting hurt by a flying dildo into a laugh on social media. For players, it seems that it doesn’t feel like a joke anymore — it feels targeted. 

On Friday, Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham tweeted, “stop throwing dildos on the court … you’re going to hurt one of us.” Five days later, the guard was hit with a dildo launched from the stands. While she joked about it on her podcast Show Me Something, she also noted the viral prank has been extremely frustrating in the midst of the WNBA’s continued fight for legitimacy. 

“The bounce that thing had! I just know how things go viral now. If that thing came from the rafters or bows and just slapped me right in the face, that would be what I’d be known for for life,” Cunningham said. “Everyone’s trying to make sure the W is not a joke and it’s taken seriously and then that happens. I’m like, ‘How are we ever going to get taken seriously?’”

Aug. 7, 5:30 p.m.: This story has been updated to include new reporting from The Athletic suggesting that a memecoin may be the reason for this trend.