Chaos erupted temporarily when WNBA star Kahleah Copper’s wig fell off and landed on the court in the middle of a play.
Copper, a star for the Phoenix Mercury, was tangling with a member of the Washington Mystics when, suddenly, her wig fell off and onto the court, much to her embarrassment.
Late in the third quarter, with the Mercury on offense, Copper made a sharp move around a teammate’s screen in order to find some daylight. But as she drove toward the perimeter, her wig got stuck on Mystics guard Jade Melbourne in the chaos, slipping off and falling to the hardwood.
Play was immediately halted by the officials, and Copper quickly gathered up her wig and made a dash to the locker room to fix it.
The game announcer echoed the sentiments of many in the building when she reflexively blurted “Oh no,” she said live. “Oh no, oh no, she’s going to head to the back. Oh no.”
There was an audible collective gasp from the stands, with a few discernible chuckles sprinkled in the mix. But one fan had too much fun with Copper’s faux pas and incited anger among Copper’s Mercury teammates.
The male fan apparently mocked the situation and made a joke. Copper’s teammates then huddled around one of the game officials and pointed out the wayward fan.
“They made fun of her for the situation on the floor,” one ref can be heard saying to another official as arena security gathered up the man and unceremoniously escorted him out of the venue.
Despite the spontaneous intermission in Sunday’s game, Copper returned to the court unbothered and locked in per usual. In fact, Copper helped the Mercury extend their lead to double digits by the end of the third quarter. The Mercury went on to thoroughly vanquish the Mystics, 88–72.
This may be a lesson for Copper to take heed from. A similar situation developed during the Olympics in Paris in 2024. Aces superstar and fellow Olympian A’ja Wilson can be seen in a video gathering Copper’s wig and adjusting it on her head after she was injured during a game in the French capital.
Fans noticed the kind gesture by Wilson in protecting her Team USA teammate. Someone who reposted the video called Wilson “top tier” for helping Copper in a vulnerable spot.
“A’One behavior from A’ja Wilson,” a fan said. “So glad Kahleah Copper is okay.”
“We don’t play about that over hereeeee,” Wilson said in response to the fan about not allowing the international cameras to see Copper’s wig fall off.
Copper showed her appreciation by responding to Wilson’s post saying, “A realllll oneeeeeee.”
Wilson is the reigning MVP of the WNBA in 2024, who also received the Olympic MVP as the women’s basketball team won the gold medal over France in Paris. Wilson is very appreciative of Copper. She spearheaded the comeback against the French national team and Wilson pointed that out in the postgame interview, saying that Copper is “that bitch” in a very complimentary way.
