WNBA star Kahleah Copper had an embarrassing mishap on the court, losing her wig in the middle of a tense moment in a matchup against the Washington Mystics, leading to complete chaos and the removal of a fan who relentlessly mocked Copper over her wardrobe malfunction.
For background, Kahleah Copper, #2 on the Phoenix Mercury, lost her hairpiece in the middle of a game against the Washington Mystics on July 28, 2025, which her team went on to win 88-72. After Copper’s mishap, security stepped in to remove a heckler, whom Copper’s teammates pointed out, leading to his forceful ejection from the arena.
During the incident, commentator Mehgan McPeak could be heard saying, “Oh no,” repeatedly while reacting to Copper’s unfortunate loss of her wig. McPeak went on to say, “She’s going to head to the back. Oh no,” as Copper walked off in embarrassment. Meanwhile, the crowd shouted furiously.
After Copper rushed off the court, a timeout was called, which a commentator explained as being for the purposes of Copper dealing “with the malfunction.” Meanwhile, Mercury players appeared to be having “an issue with a fan,” according to the commentators, which the officials described as being “dealt with” by security.
Explaining the situation further, the commentators explained that WNBA officials “were now talking to arena security,” and a ref could be heard saying, “We need to have someone removed,” as the chaos continued. “They made fun of her for the situation on the floor,” one of the officials said. Providing further clarity, a commentator said, “A fan said something…the Phoenix Mercury bench heard it, and they did not like what was said.”
Moreover, the commentators said that the Mercury were “taking exception” to comments made by the heckler, adding, “So [the crew chief] is trying to sort this out with arena security as to which person it was, and that way they can get it taken care of.”
In addition, Sports Illustrated reported that this incident was not the first time Copper had had a problem with her wig, going on to explain how Copper had previously been spotted at the 2024 Paris Olympics getting help from another player to adjust her hairpiece after she took a fall on the court. After that instance, Copper’s teammate wrote, “We don’t play about that over hereeeee.”
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Furthermore, in spite of the hullabaloo over Copper’s wig, she returned to the court and put her best foot forward, helping her team beat the Mystics 88-72. Yahoo News reported that in total, Copper scored six points with three assists and three rebounds. No further information was made available regarding the heckler who was removed by arena security.
Watch the moment:
Featured image credit: video screengrab