Fans packed the arena Wednesday night expecting a heated showdown between the New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury. What nobody expected was one of the strangest moments in WNBA history.
Midway through the second quarter, Mercury star Alyssa Thomas suddenly stopped in transition after an object flew onto the court from the lower stands. At first, players thought it was a towel or foam finger. Seconds later, cameras zoomed in and revealed the object was actually a bright pink dildo sliding across the hardwood near half court.
The bizarre incident stunned both teams and immediately brought the game to a halt.
Thomas, clearly confused at first, looked down at the object before bursting into laughter along with several teammates. Liberty players covered their faces trying not to laugh while referees struggled to regain control of the situation. Security rushed toward the section where the item reportedly came from as fans recorded the chaos on their phones.
Commentators on the live broadcast went silent for several awkward seconds before one announcer joked, “Well… that’s definitely not part of the official game equipment.”
Despite the disruption, Thomas stayed focused and returned to action moments later. The Mercury veteran responded in the best possible way — by dominating the rest of the quarter. She finished the night with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists in one of her strongest performances of the season.
After the game, Thomas addressed the viral moment with a grin.
“I’ve been hit with a lot of things playing basketball,” she said. “But that’s definitely a first.”
Arena officials later confirmed that one fan was escorted out of the building and could face a ban from future events.
Meanwhile, social media exploded within minutes, with clips of the incident spreading rapidly online and fans already calling it “the wildest WNBA
moment of the year.”