NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA said Saturday that the individual who threw a sex toy on the court at an Atlanta Dream game earlier in the week was arrested and that any person throwing objects onto the court will be ejected from the arena and face a minimum one-year ban.
The incident in Atlanta occurred late in the fourth quarter of the Dream's game against Golden State on Tuesday in College Park, Georgia. On Friday, another sex toy was thrown in Chicago under a basket after a whistle was blown to stop play during the third quarter of Golden State's 73-66 victory over the Sky. An official kicked the object aside before it was picked up and removed.
It’s unknown if the fan who threw the object at the Sky game was arrested.
“The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans,” the league said in a statement. “In line with WNBA Arena Security Standards, any fan who intentionally throws an object onto the court will be immediately ejected and face a minimum one-year ban in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution by local authorities.”
“It’s super disrespectful,” Sky center Elizabeth Williams said after FRiday's game. “I don’t really get the point of it. It’s really immature. Whoever is doing it needs to grow up.”
New York Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison commented on social media about the situation Friday.
“ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??!” Harrison said on X. “Please do better. It’s not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.”
WNBA arenas have security procedures, with many having either a no-bag policy or some allowing clear bags, often limited in size. Every bag is subject to search upon arena entry.
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FILE - The WNBA logo is seen near a hoop before an WNBA basketball game at Mohegan Sun Arena, Tuesday, May 14, 2019, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
Set to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving on Monday night, ending his tenure late in his third season in charge of one of the NHL's most popular and talked about teams.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Keith Pelley announced the abrupt change before Toronto played at Anaheim.
“Throughout the course of this season, there has been deep analysis into both the current state of the Maple Leafs organization and the direction needed to achieve the ultimate goal of delivering a Stanley Cup championship to the city,” Pelley said in a statement. “Brad Treliving is a man that we all have deep respect for, but it was determined that the club must chart a new course under different leadership.”
It’s unclear what the move means for the future of coach Craig Berube, whom Treliving hired in May 2024. Berube won the Cup with St. Louis in 2019.
The Leafs have not won it since 1967 and are on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention this season. This core — led by Auston Matthews — reached the playoffs nine consecutive years but won just two series in that time.
Cutting ties with Treliving came just before a rematch against the Ducks, a little over two weeks since one of the touchpoints of Toronto's woeful few months. Matthews was injured March 12 on a knee-on-knee hit from Radko Gudas and none of his teammates responded to a play that incurred a five-game suspension.
Max Domi fought Gudas off the opening faceoff Monday night, and he and his teammates racked up 59 penalty minutes in the first two periods — more than any game during Treliving's time as GM.
Treliving was hired in May 2023 after then-president of hockey operations Brendan Shanahan fired GM Kyle Dubas. Shanahan did not have his contract renewed last year following a second-round exit, and no one took his spot in between Pelley and Treliving in the organizational pecking order.
Shanahan, Dubas and predecessor Lou Lamoriello constructed the top of the roster, from Matthews and John Tavares to Mitch Marner and William Nylander. Treliving was running the team last summer when Marner's most recent contract expired and recouped some value in a sign-and-trade with Vegas rather than losing him for nothing in free agency.
Treliving, who was in his second NHL GM job following a lengthy stint with the Calgary Flames from 2014-23, was responsible for a handful of significant moves during his tenure in Toronto. That included an ill-fated March 2025 deal for defenseman Brandon Carlo that included sending Fraser Minten and a first-round pick to Boston.
His final acts were selling moves at the most recent deadline, trading Scott Laughton to Los Angeles and Bobby McMann to Seattle.
AP freelance writer Mike DiGiovanna in Anaheim, California, contributed to this report.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE - Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving holds an NHL hockey press conference at the Ford Performance Centre, in Toronto, Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
