The Chicago Sky have drawn a hard line after a fan derailed their most recent matchup, promising strict action and bans for anyone identified as responsible. The Sky’s response came 19 hours after guard Natasha Cloud’s viral response to the incident after the game.
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The Athletics writer Annie Costabile posted a press release from the Sky on X, in which they explicitly addressed the adult toys thrown onto the court during their August 21 game against the Golden State Valkyries. The sequence, which saw at least three objects thrown, temporarily stopped play in the third quarter, marking consecutive nights when this kind of stunt had disrupted a WNBA game.
“Investigations of the August 21 Sky game incident are underway by the Sky, Wintrust Arena, Chicago Police, and WNBA league officials. We are in the process of identifying the individuals involved and will pursue prosecution upon identification. Anyone caught violating this policy will be prosecuted and face a lifetime ban from our arenas.”
The team also said, “The Chicago Sky are steadfastly committed to player and fan safety. Throwing objects on the court violates our fan code of conduct policy and is disruptive and dangerous.”
The game being derailed was one thing, but perhaps the most furious response against the fan’s actions came from Sky guard Natasha Cloud, who delivered a heated statement after the game, condemning the people behind the incident and arguing that the behavior went far beyond a joke or a prank.
“In most of these occasions, it’s men… I’m a firm believer in anyone that has so much of a problem with a marginalized group, just come out and say that you’re a part of our group, because the hate is unwarranted. It says more about the internal struggles of the individual than it ever will say about the collective group. The men that are throwing it, shows that you are weak… And it says a lot about how you feel about women. But we don’t care. It’s a disruption of the game.”
The timing of the incident is also notable, because it marked the second consecutive night that these objects were thrown at the court. The previous day, during the game between the Atlanta Dream and the Los Angeles Sparks, one such object was thrown before being covered by a towel and taken away by staffers.
In one viral clip, Dream star Angel Reese pointed at the perpetrator, who was subsequently caught by security during an attempt to flee from the scene. Security detained him, issued a citation, and released him. He was subsequently banned indefinitely from NBA and WNBA events.
The league saw several such incidents occur last season, with one of them taking place in Chicago, but to the Sky and Cloud, the event meant more than just a basketball interruption. If caught, the suspects face prosecution and long-term arena bans.