It started as a strange, almost comical spectacle: a lime-green sex toy, unmistakably a dildo, sailing onto the court during a high-stakes WNBA game. But what began as a bizarre interruption quickly spiraled into a nationwide controversy, drawing in cryptocurrency pranksters, professional athletes, and even the Trump family. Over the past two weeks, the WNBA has found itself at the center of a disruptive and divisive cultural moment, as a string of dildo-throwing incidents has forced players, league officials, and fans to grapple with questions of safety, respect, and the unpredictable power of viral internet stunts.
The saga kicked off on July 29, 2025, when, during the fourth quarter of an Atlanta Dream versus Golden State Valkyries game, a lime-green dildo was hurled onto the court. The object’s garish color—something between cartoonish slime and highlighter green—made it instantly visible to players and viewers alike. The moment, captured on live television and quickly shared across social media, was met by a mixture of amusement and concern. Some players laughed it off, with Las Vegas Aces guard Kierstan Bell joking on social media, “Damn how my shit get there.” Others, however, were quick to point out the potential danger of throwing any object—never mind a sex toy—onto the court.
Unfortunately, the incident in Atlanta was just the beginning. Over the next week, nearly identical bright-green dildos appeared at games in Chicago and Los Angeles. On August 5, during a matchup between the Sparks and the Indiana Fever in L.A., things took a more serious turn. Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who had already warned fans online to "stop throwing dildos on the court … you’re going to hurt one of us," was apparently struck by one of the flying objects. The message was clear: what some saw as a harmless prank was now putting athletes at risk.
As the dildo saga continued to escalate, it began to attract attention from outside the world of women’s basketball. On August 7, Donald Trump Jr. entered the fray, posting an AI-generated meme to Instagram. The image depicted WNBA players on the White House basketball court, with his father, former President Donald Trump, standing on the roof and throwing a green dildo onto the court below. Trump Jr. captioned the photo “Posted without further comment,” accompanied by several laugh-crying emojis. The meme, which alluded to Trump’s recent trip to the White House roof, drew a wide range of reactions—some found it hilarious, others were baffled or offended. The top comment, “America is so back 🇺🇸🔥,” captured the meme’s appeal to a certain segment of the online audience, but for many, the joke felt tone-deaf or even mean-spirited.
While the meme highlighted the surreal nature of the story, it also underscored how quickly internet culture can turn real-world events into fodder for political and social commentary. According to The Athletic, the dildo-throwing incidents may have had a more calculated origin than anyone suspected. On August 7, the publication reported that the stunts were likely orchestrated by a group of cryptocurrency investors promoting a new meme coin called Green Dildo Coin. The coin, launched on July 28—the same day as the first incident—was created as a satirical protest against what its founders describe as a "toxic" environment in the crypto world. Incredibly, the coin saw more than $1.5 million in trading volume between August 6 and August 7, a sign of just how quickly online pranks can translate into real financial stakes.
One anonymous member of the Green Dildo Coin community told ESPN that the dildo-throwing was “more or less like an opportunistic approach to, you know, what is already trending. Where is there already controversy and how do we intercept some of that attention?” The group’s strategy, it seems, was to ride the wave of viral attention—no matter the cost to players or the league. In interviews with USA Today, a spokesperson for the group claimed that members were advised to “only throw their green-branded items if there is a level of personal comfort and the objects can land without hitting anyone.” But as the events in Los Angeles and Chicago proved, good intentions rarely guarantee good outcomes.
For the WNBA, the incidents have been more than just an annoyance; they’ve been a test of the league’s ability to maintain order and protect its athletes in a media environment that rewards chaos and spectacle. League officials have condemned the behavior, and security has been ramped up at games to prevent further disruptions. Players like Sophie Cunningham have used their platforms to call for accountability and respect, urging fans to remember that, at the end of the day, the court is their workplace—and their safety should never be compromised for the sake of a joke or a viral moment.
The controversy has also sparked a broader conversation about the intersection of sports, internet culture, and political commentary. The involvement of Donald Trump Jr.—and by extension, his father—has politicized the issue in ways that few could have anticipated. Some on the right have argued that the meme is a harmless bit of fun, a way to poke at the perceived absurdity of the situation. Others, including many within the WNBA community, see it as a sign of disrespect and a dangerous trivialization of real safety concerns.
Meanwhile, the Green Dildo Coin community continues to revel in its newfound notoriety. In online chats, members have claimed to be in touch with the "throwers" at different games, sharing messages about "potential tossers" in various cities and celebrating each new incident as a marketing victory. For them, the line between prank and promotion has all but disappeared. The coin’s rapid trading volume—over $1.5 million in just two days—suggests that, for better or worse, their strategy is working.
As the league heads into the final stretch of the season, it remains to be seen whether the dildo-throwing will subside or continue to cast a shadow over the games. What’s clear is that a single, garish object has managed to unite athletes, internet trolls, political figures, and crypto speculators in a spectacle that’s as absurd as it is unsettling. The WNBA, for its part, is hoping that fans will remember what brought them to the arena in the first place: a love of the game, and respect for the athletes who play it.
For now, the green dildo serves as a strange symbol of the times—a reminder that, in an age of viral stunts and meme-driven markets, even the most unlikely objects can become the center of national attention, for better or for worse.
