Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud speaks out after three sex toys disrupt WNBA game
CHICAGO, Aug 22. Three sex toys were thrown onto the court during the third quarter of Friday's Chicago Sky-Golden State Valkyrie game, halting play. Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud responded with a two-minute postgame statement in which she called the responsible men "lame" and "extremely weak," argued the conduct reveals how they feel about women, and used the word "gay" repeatedly as both a descriptor and, at points, as an insult.
Key takeaways
- Three sex toys were thrown onto the court during the third quarter of Friday's Chicago Sky-Golden State Valkyrie game in Chicago, halting play.
- Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud gave a two-minute postgame statement calling the responsible men "lame" and "extremely weak" and used the word "gay" repeatedly as a descriptor and at points as an insult.
- Cloud said the men should publicly come out, claiming they would be happier and kinder, and asserted the behavior reflects their own internal struggles rather than the players.
- The disruptions followed a similar incident a day earlier when a neon green sex toy was thrown during Thursday's Dream-Sparks game in Los Angeles, where Angel Reese identified the person responsible.
- As of filing, it had not been reported whether the WNBA intended to respond to Cloud's use of "gay" as a pejorative.
CHICAGO, Aug 22. Three sex toys were thrown onto the court during the third quarter of Friday's Chicago Sky-Golden State Valkyrie game, halting play. Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud responded with a two-minute postgame statement in which she called the responsible men "lame" and "extremely weak," argued the conduct reveals how they feel about women, and used the word "gay" repeatedly as both a descriptor and, at points, as an insult.
Cloud said that going to a sex shop, purchasing a toy, paying for a ticket, and throwing the item onto the court at a women's professional basketball game is, in her phrasing, "the gayest thing that you can do." She said she is "a firm believer" that people who express hostility toward a marginalized group are members of it themselves. "That hate is unwarranted. It's not factual," she said. The behavior reflects "the internal struggles of that individual" rather than anything about the players, she added.
She invited the men to come out publicly, saying they would be happier and kinder without therapy. "Just be yourself," Cloud said. "You can come out. You'll be happier. You'll be nicer to people." She then noted, "We see it," telling those throwing the toys they were continuing to signal their own sexuality.
Cloud also turned to money. She sketched a scenario in which a buyer must explain a credit card charge for a sex toy to a financial advisor, naming three fictitious figures: "Chad," "Richard," and "Paul." She closed by attributing the pattern to what she called "a certain demographic," without identifying it. Whether the WNBA intended to respond to Cloud's use of "gay" as a pejorative had not been reported by the time of filing.
Earlier in the week
Friday's disruptions came one day after a neon green sex toy was thrown onto the court during Thursday's Dream-Sparks game in Los Angeles. Angel Reese identified the person responsible and pointed him out to the arena. He was later seen leaving.
One person arrested in connection with a similar incident during a prior WNBA season had the surname Lopez.