Rhyne Howard scored 26 points, and Angel Reese had a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double and added eight assists as the Atlanta Dream secured a 124-88 road victory on Thursday night over the Los Angeles Sparks.

But stats and highlights weren’t the only thing being discussed after the game. Conversations also centered around a green sex toy that was thrown onto the court.

Sparks guard Jihyun Park stepped to the free-throw line with 2:59 to play in the third quarter. Before taking her shot attempt, a green object flew in front of her. A referee blew her whistle and stopped the game. From the Dream bench, Reese stood up and pointed to the perpetrator in the crowd. Sparks center Cameron Brink kicked the sex toy off the court. The man who allegedly threw it was seen running out of the stands past a security guard.

The individual was immediately apprehended by arena security and arrested, a person with direct knowledge of situation told USA TODAY Sports. The individual will be banned from all WNBA, NBA and affiliated league games and events. The league will continue to work closely with law enforcement to hold individuals who engage in this type of conduct accountable and fully prosecute perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law, someone with knowledge of the WNBA’s thinking told USA TODAY.

In 2025, the WNBA endured a two-week stretch in which six sex toys were tossed onto the hardwood across six games. The group that claimed responsibility then is claiming responsibility for the latest disruption.

The people behind it all are a group of crypto enthusiasts and traders. Last year, they told USA TODAY Sports they launched their meme coin as a joke to protest what they described as a “toxic” environment in the crypto world. They told USA TODAY Sports they tossed the sex toys onto courts during WNBA games to generate attention for their meme coin by pulling off “viral stunts to save us from having to pay that influencer cabal.”

Group targets WNBA transgender debate

This time, the group said it’s throwing sex toys for a different reason, inserting itself into the debate swirling around the WNBA regarding transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

In a post on X, the group wrote: “It has come to our attention that the WNBA has no detailed public policy on what a woman is. The Collective Bargaining Agreement simply states that ‘players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.’ WNBA leadership has recently REFUSED to define ‘woman’ by biological sex, thus leaving the door open for biological males to compete alongside women.”

The group said it will continue to interrupt games by tossing sex toys onto the court until the WNBA “defines what a woman is by biological sex” or “explicitly states that only biological women can compete” in the league.

“Until then, we will make a mockery of the league before ‘transgender’ athletes do it themselves,” the group said on X.

League continues to face scrutiny

Although no transgender women play in the WNBA, the league has become a lightning rod for the topic following comments made by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in an ESPN story. Cunningham then doubled down, saying young girls playing sports “shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

Controversy has followed. A Seattle Storm co-owner was suspended for five home games for comments she made to fans of Cunningham. On Aug. 16, a security guard at an Atlanta Dream vs. Indiana Fever game asked two fans to cover up their XX-XY shirts. XX-XY Athletics is a brand founded by Jennifer Sey, a former gymnast and former Levi Strauss chief marketing officer who says her brand exists to “protect women’s sports and spaces.”

Coaches including the Minnesota Lynx‘s Cheryl Reeve and Golden State Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase recently weighed in on the ongoing controversies. Dallas Wings coach Jose Fernandez said, “I’m not partaking in the circus and everything that takes away from our team, the league. This (expletive) is not happening in the NFL, MLB, NBA.”

Perspective at trans athlete debate

Cunningham’s comments on transgender athlete participation and the ensuing conversation came after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld states’ right to ban transgender girls and women from participation in women’s sports. There has not been an openly transgender player in WNBA history.

Legislation passed in 27 states barring transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports is aimed at a small portion of the population — 1% of people aged 13 and over in the U.S. identify as transgender, according to a 2025 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law.

The Human Rights Campaign reported in 2023 that 19% of transgender youth nationwide were playing sports, including fewer than 1,300 who played sports in school. In 2024, NCAA president Charlie Baker testified to the Senate that he knows of fewer than 10 transgender students out of 510,000 college athletes.