Sophie Cunningham on Sex Toy-Throwing Incidents: ‘How Are We Ever Going to Get Taken Seriously?’

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has doubled down on asking fans to stop throwing adult sex toys on the court during WNBA games.

In a bizarre trend, fans have thrown green sex toys on the court, with the first incident happening in a game between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream earlier this month.

Cunningham was among the first WNBA players to speak out on the incident when she tweeted, "Stop throwing dildos on the court… you're going to hurt one of us."

The post immediately caught fire online, with many fans assuming she was talking about potential physical injuries. Since then, two more incidents occurred, one with Cunningham appearing to be the target of a fan in a game between the Fever and the Los Angeles Sparks. Sparks guard Kelsey Plum took it upon herself to kick the sex toy off the court.

On the second episode of her Show Me Something podcast, Cunningham clarified the concern in her tweet. Cunningham said that the stunt is "hilarious," but she's thinking about the damage that the incident can do to someone's public image if they get hit by one of these sex toys.

"First of all, the bounce that thing had, if that smacked someone in the face, that's going to be plastered everywhere," Cunningham said. "I just know that if things go viral now. ... If that thing even came from the rafters or bounced and slapped me in the face, that would be what I would be known for, for life."

She added that she was concerned for players' images—as well as their physical safety.

"And yeah, break a fucking nose, what the hell?" she said.

Cunningham said she and other players want to know how these fans are sneaking in sex toys in the first place. Her co-host, West Wilson, speculated that fans might be carrying the toys in their clothing because the rubber material wouldn't trigger metal detectors.

Despite the implications, Cunningham acknowledged some of the lighter, albeit cheeky, fan reactions.

She shared a direct response to her tweet, "Well, stop playing basketball on the dildo range," which she found "kind of funny."

But her overall sentiment remains one of concern for the league's image.

Cunningham lamented, "Everyone's trying to like make sure like the W[NBA] 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?"

Over the weekend, police arrested 23-year-old Delbert Carver for the original dildo toss in Atlanta. He was charged with disorderly conduct and public indecency and spent a night in jail before being released on bond. The WNBA also hit Carver with a one-year ban from all league games.

"The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league," the WNBA said in a statement. "Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans."