A WNBA game was stopped on Sunday after a player was mocked by a fan for her wig getting knocked off her head.
Phoenix Mercury star Kahleah Copper experienced the unfortunate mishap in the third quarter against the Washington Mystics as she went around a screen, and quickly exited to the locker room to fix the issue.
But the game remained paused afterwards (following a timeout) as referee Amy Bonner spoke with security about an alleged comment that the Mercury bench had heard about the situation.
Bonner could be heard on the broadcast of the game telling security that there had been a complaint from the Mercury about a fan who ‘made fun’ of Bonner.
Play-by-play broadcaster Meghan McPeak also relayed: ‘So a fan said something, the Phoenix Mercury bench heard it, and they did not like what was said. They’re taking exception to it.’
Bonner could then be seen heard talking to Mercury player Alyssa Thomas, while the official continued to work with security on the situation.
Phoenix Mercury star Kahleah Copper had her wig torn off of her head during a game
She quickly exited the court as she went to the locker room to fix the issue
The game remained paused as referee Amy Bonner spoke to security about an alleged fan remark about the incident
It’s unclear if a fan was actually removed from the Mystics’ CareFirst Arena.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Mercury, Mystics and WNBA for comment.
Ultimately, Copper returned to the game and the Mercury were able to notch a comfortable win on the road.
Phoenix defeated Washington 88-72, with Copper scoring six points in the victory.
Earlier this month, a man was ejected from the Indiana Fever’s visit to the Connecticut Sun after making a comment to Sun guard Saniya Rivers.
The fan was identified as off-duty cop William Reilly, a member of the Bridgeport Police Department.
Michael Salemme III, the president of the Bridgeport police union, played down the incident as ‘innocent fun’ according to ctpost.com, though Rivers clearly didn’t feel the same.
The WNBA also announced it was investigating claims of racist abuse directed at Angel Reese after the Chicago Sky’s season opener against the Fever and Caitlin Clark.
However, the league later revealed it couldn’t substantiate claims that racist fan behavior took place during the game.
