PHOENIX (KPHO/Gray News) – A man is accused of throwing a sex toy at the court of a Phoenix Mercury game as part of a bizarre trend happening at WNBA games nationwide.
Kaden Lopez, 18, was arrested at PHX Arena during the Mercury’s game Tuesday against the Connecticut Sun.
During the game, court documents say Lopez threw a green sex toy toward the seats in front of him, hitting a man and the man’s 9-year-old niece.
Kaden Lopez, 18, was arrested at PHX Arena during the Mercury’s game Tuesday against the Connecticut Sun.(Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
Video footage reportedly shows Lopez taking out the sex toy from his sweater and then throwing it before leaving the area. Court documents say a witness saw what occurred and tackled Lopez to the ground as police arrived.
The victim told authorities that he was watching the Mercury game with his niece when something hit him in the back and fell on the ground next to them.
In an interview with police, Lopez told investigators that he was “very sorry” and that “it was just a stupid prank that was trending on social media,” court documents state.
He said he bought the sex toy the day before and planned to take it to the game. Lopez reportedly claimed that he “didn’t intend to hit anyone or for the sex toy to fall next to a child.”
Court documents say the victim, the WNBA and PHX Arena all want to press charges against Lopez.
He was booked on one count of disorderly conduct, one count of assault and one count of public display of explicit sexual material.
This is the fourth case of people throwing sex toys onto the court of WNBA games. The latest incident involved Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, also a former Mercury player, who was hit by the object.
ESPN reported that a man was arrested for throwing a sex toy on the court of the Atlanta Dream – Golden State Valkyries game last week. Just days later, officials stopped and kicked a sex toy off the court during the Chicago Sky – Golden State Valkyries game.
Copyright 2025 KPHO via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.