Author: 1912212.eth, Foresight News
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) was unexpectedly overshadowed by a bizarre 'toy invasion' incident.
Beginning July 29, in a series of matches in the 2025 season, a series of green mysterious toys (dildos) were thrown onto WNBA courts. As of now, there have been three games where fans maliciously threw toys resembling genitalia onto the court, leading to interruptions that affected both teams and the progression of the game.
This incident seems absurd, but behind it is a carefully planned cryptocurrency meme launch.
It all began on the WNBA court. In the 2025 season, the league attracted a record audience, with star players like Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Plum becoming cultural icons. However, on July 29, during a game between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries, an incident broke the calm. A fan threw a bright green mysterious toy onto the court, causing a brief interruption in the game. Referees and security quickly cleared the scene, but the moment was captured on camera and quickly went viral on social media.
Just a few days later, similar incidents occurred: on August 5, two green mysterious toys landed at the Chicago Sky's home game; in a game involving the Los Angeles Sparks, player Kelsey Plum even personally kicked one away. Within just two weeks, at least five similar incidents were reported, including one involving a purple variant, provoking a range of reactions from humor to anger.
Initially, these incidents were seen as isolated pranks or fan outbursts. After police intervention, two men were arrested in Chicago on charges including disturbing the peace.
The truth soon emerged: a cryptocurrency group openly admitted responsibility. They claimed that throwing the mysterious toys was a carefully planned 'protest' and marketing stunt aimed at promoting their meme coin—Green Dildo Coin (DILDO).
DILDO quietly launched on July 28. The group stated in an interview with USA Today that their goal was to protest the 'toxic' environment in the crypto world, including scams, manipulation, and infighting within the community. Through this extreme method, they hoped to create buzz, attract attention, and prove that viral marketing could be achieved without relying on key opinion leaders.
DILDO was issued on the Solana chain, with a contract address of 0x4C3e9772698084B00b413106723E700797921C6b. The name and theme of the coin are directly derived from the slang in crypto trading—'green dildo' refers to a large green candle on price charts, symbolizing a surge. The group claimed that throwing the mysterious toys was a 'glorious protest,' but essentially it was low-cost marketing: they only needed to spend $200 on toys and $500 on tickets to gain tens of millions of exposures.
After the incident quickly escalated, DILDO surged from a low of $0.00018 to a peak of $0.00222 on August 9, nearly a tenfold increase in just one week. Currently, the meme has a market value of $13.96 million, with a 24-hour trading volume of $750,000.
Notably, on August 2, the WNBA's official mysterious toy merchandise sold out on the first day of release.
Some Twitter KOLs like @jonnajarian and @gainzy222 discussed the incident during live streams, further fueling hype. Even Donald Trump Jr. shared a photoshopped image joining the discussion, depicting his father Trump throwing a green mysterious toy from the White House.
However, this incident sparked significant controversy. WNBA players and league officials expressed strong dissatisfaction. Players described these actions as 'insulting and disrespectful' in post-game interviews and stated they interfered with on-court performance. The league has increased security measures, including searches and banning suspicious items from entering, and league officials stated that all 13 WNBA teams must install safety nets.
Critics pointed out that throwing sex toys in a female-dominated league reinforces stereotypes of female athletes being objectified. Slate magazine commented that this was not just a prank but a mockery of the feminist struggle, especially against the backdrop of WNBA players fighting for higher salaries and rights. The market capitalization growth of the meme coin even surpassed the annual salaries of some WNBA players, highlighting the absurdity of crypto speculation.
The group's spokesperson denied that the arrested individuals were associated with them, claiming the actions were 'peaceful protests,' but this did not mask the potential risks: in X posts, some warned that this was short-term speculation lacking long-term value. Similar incidents are not unprecedented—Green Dildo Finance in 2021 and other meme coins in 2024 profited from controversial marketing, but most ultimately collapsed, leaving investors with nothing.
The mysterious toy incident thrown into the WNBA reflects some marketing chaos in the 2025 crypto market. While mainstream coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum have stable growth, the meme coin sector is rife with manipulation and scams. Meanwhile, it also showcases the boundaries of viral marketing on social media, which is constantly being pushed to extremes.
What is the fate of the DILDO coin? Likely, like many meme coins, it will be a flash in the pan before fading away. Regardless, this farce has become an odd footnote in the intersection of sports and crypto in 2025.
