Latest news with #Phoenix Mercury
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dream guard Jordin Canada carried off court with apparent knee injury in win over Mercury
Atlanta Dream guard Jordin Canada had to be carried off the floor at PHX Arena on Sunday afternoon after she went down with a non-contact knee injury in their 74-66 win over the Phoenix Mercury. Canada went to drive to the rim late in the third quarter when she awkwardly pulled up after appearing to tweak her right leg. She missed the layup and play went the other way, but Canada started hopping straight under the hoop and was clearly in a lot of pain. A better angle of the play showed Canada's right leg buckling slightly after she planted. Canada had to be carried off the court and back to the locker room without putting any weight on her leg whatsoever. Further specifics of her injury are not yet known, though the team quickly ruled her out of the contest. Canada had 13 points and two rebounds when she went down. Canada is averaging 11.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season, her second with the Dream. She signed a two-year, $375,000 deal with the Los Angeles Sparks, but she was dealt to Atlanta ahead of the 2024 campaign. She'll be a free agent this upcoming offseason. Shortly after Canada went down, Dream guard Rhyne Howard was ejected from the game after arguing with the officials. Howard got called for a foul while trying to fight through a screen, and she immediately confronted the officials. She picked up two quick technicals and was immediately thrown out. It was Howard's first back in nearly a month while she was dealing with a knee injury. She finished with four points and two assists, and went 0-of-7 from the field. Despite losing both Canada and Howard, the Dream still held on to grab the eight-point win on Sunday afternoon. Allisha Gray led the way with 17 points, and both Naz Hillmon and Brionna Jones finished with double-doubles in the win. That marked the Dream's fifth straight win and pushed them to 20-11 on the season. The Mercury now sit at 19-12 on the year after the loss, which snapped a three-game losing skid of their own. Alyssa Thomas dropped 21 points and eight rebounds to lead all scorers, and DeWanna Bonner added 16 points off the bench. They were the only two players to hit double figures for Phoenix.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
18-year-old arrested at Mercury game after jumping on viral sex toy ‘trend'
The post 18-year-old arrested at Mercury game after jumping on viral sex toy 'trend' appeared first on ClutchPoints. The WNBA in recent days has seen multiple incidents of sex toys being thrown on-court. The 'trend' began with an Atlanta Dream game on July 29, with multiple incidents having been reported ever since. The latest incident took place during a recent game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Connecticut Sun at the PHX Arena. 18-year-old Kaden Lopez was arrested after allegedly throwing a sex toy into the crowd, which then struck a man and his 9-year-old niece. Lopez now faces multiple charges including disorderly conduct, assault, and public display of explicit sexual material. Video footage reviewed by Phoenix police shows Lopez pulling a green toy from his sweater pocket and tossing it forward, where it hit the back of an adult male before landing beside his young niece, per FOX10 The victim, who was watching the game with the child, confirmed he wished to press charges after realizing what the object was. A volunteer at the arena reportedly followed Lopez as he attempted to leave, tackling him and detaining him until officers arrived. Court documents reveal Lopez admitted to the act, calling it a 'stupid prank that was trending on social media.' The purchase was made the day prior with the intent of bringing it to the game. The Mercury game incident marks the fifth reported sex toy incident at a WNBA game in just over a week. Previous cases include toys being thrown on the court during games in Atlanta (July 29), Chicago (August 1), and Los Angeles (also August 5), where Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham was nearly struck during live play. Cunningham had previously used social media to plead with fans to stop the trend, calling it both dangerous and disrespectful. The WNBA, along with PHX Arena officials, has condemned the acts and is pushing for full prosecution in Lopez's case. The league reiterated its policy that any guest who throws an object will be immediately ejected, face a minimum one-year ban, and potentially face arrest. 'The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority,' the WNBA stated, calling thrown objects a direct threat to players, officials, and fans. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office will determine how the case proceeds. Related: Geno Auriemma reveals 'unfortunate' thing about Diana Taurasi's Mercury career Related: Diana Taurasi gets 'raw' about Olympic benching
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Security in focus as arrests made in spat of sex toy disruptions in WNBA
The WNBA is still struggling with a string of sex toy disturbances. In the past week and a half, sex toys have been thrown on court during games in Atlanta on July 29, Chicago on August 1, Los Angeles on August 5 and Chicago again on Thursday night, with the most recent object hitting the court in the closing seconds of the Atlanta Dream's victory over the Sky. The sex toy that landed on the court in Los Angeles nearly hit Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during Indiana's game against the Sparks. Sex toys were also thrown at games in New York and Phoenix last Tuesday, but didn't reach the court. Police say another toy was thrown at a game in Atlanta on August 1, although it is unclear if that one reached the court. The distractions have created unexpected challenges for the league, the teams and the players, but also for arena security. Here's what to know. A man was arrested Saturday in College Park, Georgia, after he was accused of throwing a sex toy onto the court during the Atlanta Dream's July 29 matchup with the Golden State Valkyries, according to a police report. The report said he threw another sex toy during the Dream's August 1 game against the Phoenix Mercury, but that instance did not seem to result in a delay of play. He is charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing, public indecency and indecent exposure. All four charges are misdemeanours in the state of Georgia, meaning that if he is convicted, the punishment for each can be a fine of up to $1,000 or jail time of up to 12 months. A misdemeanour for public indecency and indecent exposure may also require registration on the state's sex offender list. The report said the man told police, 'This was supposed to be a joke and the joke [was] supposed to go viral.'` Another man in Phoenix was arrested after police say he threw a sex toy in the crowd at a Mercury game on Tuesday. Police say the 18-year-old pulled the sex toy from his sweater pocket and threw it towards seats in front of him, striking a spectator in the back. The man later told police it was a prank that had been trending on social media and that he bought the toy a day earlier to take to the game. He was later tackled by a volunteer at the arena who had witnessed the incident and began following him as the man tried to leave the arena. Police say the man was arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct and publicly displaying explicit sexual material. The New York Liberty told The Associated Press on Thursday night that there is an ongoing investigation into the throwing in New York, and the team is cooperating with law enforcement. The types of sex toys being thrown onto the court generally do not include metal elements, meaning that arena metal detectors are not able to sense them. When carried on a spectator's body, they become even more difficult to detect. ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please do better. It's not funny. never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous. — Isabelle Harrison (@OMG_itsizzyb) August 2, 2025 Arena security teams face challenges in catching these items, according to Ty Richmond, the president of the event services division at Allied Universal Security, a company that provides security services to certain NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB and MLS arenas across the country. 'Not all stadiums are using a screening process that's consistent and can detect (the sex toys) because of what it would require — pat down searches, opening the bags, prohibiting bags,' he said. 'The conflict of expediency, of getting fans into the arena and into the venue, which is an important issue, and security and safety.' The limits of arena security make legal action one of the strongest deterrents for this kind of behaviour, Richmond said. 'The decision to prosecute and show examples of how people are being handled is very important,' he said. 'Without a doubt, I think it will make a difference. The application of it is important, and publicising that is important.' There have not been any arrests made yet in Los Angeles and Chicago. In a statement to The AP, the Sparks said they are 'working with arena personnel to identify the individual responsible and ensure appropriate action is taken'. The WNBA has said that any spectators throwing objects onto the court will face a minimum one-year ban and prosecution from law enforcement. As the disturbances pile up, those on the court have become increasingly frustrated. 'Everyone is trying to make sure the W is not a joke and it's taken seriously, and then that happens,' Cunningham said on her podcast after nearly being hit by one of the sex toys on Tuesday. 'I'm like, 'How are we ever going to get taken seriously?'' No other professional sports leagues have faced sex toy disturbances like this. It has started a conversation online about the perpetrators' choices to throw them during games in a women's league and a league with a high-profile amount of lesbian and queer players. 'This has been going on for centuries, the sexualization of women. This is the latest version of that. It's not funny. It should not be the butt of jokes,' said Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve on Thursday. 'The sexualisation of women is what's used to hold women down, and this is no different.' Despite the criminal behaviour leading to arrests, at least one crypto-based predictions market is offering trades essentially allowing users to wager on whether sex toys will be thrown at future WNBA games. Players have also been sounding off on social media, echoing concerns about arena security protocols. Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison posted on X last week, saying, 'ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please do better. It's not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.'
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Another WNBA game, again in Chicago, disrupted by a sex toy tossed onto the court
CHICAGO — A sex toy was thrown onto the court in the closing seconds of the Atlanta Dream's 86-65 victory over the Chicago Sky on Thursday night, the latest such incident at a WNBA game. Sex toys also were thrown on court during games in Atlanta on July 29, Chicago on Friday and Los Angeles on Tuesday. Police said a second toy was thrown at the game in Atlanta, but it's unclear if that one reached the court. A man was arrested Saturday in College Park, Georgia, after he was accused of throwing a sex toy onto the court during the Dream's July 29 game with the Golden State Valkyries, according to a police report. The report said he threw another sex toy during the Dream's game on Friday against the Phoenix Mercury. He was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing, public indecency and indecent exposure. Another man in Phoenix was arrested after police say he threw a sex toy in the crowd at a Mercury game on Tuesday. Police say the 18-year-old pulled the sex toy from his sweater pocket and threw it toward seats in front of him, striking a spectator in the back. Police say the man was arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct and publicly displaying explicit sexual material. The WNBA said any spectators throwing objects onto the court will face at least a one-year ban and prosecution from law enforcement. ___ AP WNBA:
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Another WNBA game disrupted by sex toy thrown on court in Chicago
A sex toy was thrown onto the court in the closing seconds of the Atlanta Dream's 86-65 victory over the Chicago Sky on Thursday night, the latest such incident at a WNBA game. Sex toys also were thrown on court during games in Atlanta on 29 July Chicago on Friday and Los Angeles on Tuesday. Police said a second toy was thrown at the game in Atlanta, but it's unclear if that one reached the court. A man was arrested Saturday in College Park, Georgia, after he was accused of throwing a sex toy onto the court during the Dream's 29 July game with the Golden State Valkyries, according to a police report. The report said he threw another sex toy during the Dream's game on Friday against the Phoenix Mercury. He was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing, public indecency and indecent exposure. Another man in Phoenix was arrested after police say he threw a sex toy in the crowd at a Mercury game on Tuesday. Police say the 18-year-old pulled the sex toy from his sweater pocket and threw it toward seats in front of him, striking a spectator in the back. Police say the man was arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct and publicly displaying explicit sexual material. The WNBA said any spectators throwing objects onto the court will face at least a one-year ban and prosecution from law enforcement.
