New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart is not happy.
She recently revealed she and her wife, Marta Xargay Casademont, received threatening, homophobic anonymous emails after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
Stewart said the emails went directly to Xargay Casademont’s account at practice on Tuesday.
“The fact it came to Marta’s email is something she (had to) see. The level of closeness was a little bit different,” she said. “Make sure that myself and Marta are OK, but that our kids are the safest.”
Stewart confirmed her family was threatened during an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
“I think that for Marta, especially, I think it was, it is, terrifying,” ESPN quotes Stewart as saying.
“It came after the Game 1 loss, and sometimes people are taking things a little bit too far and too out of context,” Stewart said. “Marta had gotten homophobic death threats, a few other things have happened, but just making sure our team and the league are aware of the situation and continue to keep everybody safe.”
The threat coming to Breanna Stewart and her wife comes just weeks after the WNBA released a statement denouncing hateful rhetoric in response to racism and homophobia directed at players throughout the 2024 season.
“Inside of this league, it’s kind of like, ‘Why is this happening?’ Because we are the most inclusive league in all of professional sports,” Stewart added.
“I can say that with confidence. There’s no place for hate, homophobia, or racism. We want to continue to make sure that not only am I using this platform to make sure that we’re keeping it consistent and really putting the pressure on the league to keep us safe, but knowing this is happening not only in the league but around the world.”
Casademont reported the email to the NYPD’s 78th Precinct in Brooklyn this week.
According to police sources, the email read, “I hope someone shoots your wife dead, f–k you d—es [sic], I hope you both die.”
What is disturbing is that the person behind it has been associated with other hateful messages and threats.
Breanna Stewart says she purposely doesn’t read all of her messages to avoid anything negative.
Breanna Stewart’s Wife Has an Athletic Background That Includes The WNBA
Marta Xargay Casademont, Breanna Stewart’s wife, is not unknown as she is a retired Spanish professional basketball player.
Her professional career lasted from 2005 to 2020, which included two years playing for the Phoenix Mercury.
She represented the Spanish Senior Women’s National Team throughout her professional career and won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Breanna Stewart and Xargay were engaged in May 2020 and got married in August 2021.
They share a young daughter and an infant son.