Liberty star Breanna Stewart faces homophobic threat during WNBA finals

The New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx are in the thick of the WNBA finals, drawing the best WNBA TV ratings in a whopping 23 years. But basketball was the last thing on the minds of Liberty star Breanna Stewart and her wife, Marta Xargay Casademont, when they allegedly received a threatening and homophobic email last week.

“I hope someone shoots your wife dead, f–k you d—es,” the email stated, according to the New York Post, which first reported on the incident. “I hope you both die.”

The email was anonymous, but sources told the New York Post that it was delivered from an email address known to send hateful messages.

Casademont entered the NYPD’s 78th Precinct in Brooklyn on Oct. 10 to share the email with authorities, according to the New York Post, though the NYPD told Gay City News that the email was received in the area covering the 84th Precinct. The 78th Precinct covers Prospect Park, while the 84th is in Boerum Hill.

The NYPD told Gay City News on Oct. 17 that a complaint report was made for aggravated harassment after a woman reported “a threatening email” that caused her “to fear for her safety.”

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the case as a possible biased incident.

“Myself and my family, we’re definitely doing OK,” Stewart said to reporters on Oct. 15, according to ESPN. “We’re taking the proper precautions.”

She added: “[The threat was] something that [Casademont] couldn’t not see, So the level of closeness was a little bit different. And I think that we just want to make sure, obviously, myself and Marta are OK, but our kids are the ones that are the safest.”

A WNBA spokesperson denounced the email threat in a statement to the Associated Press.

“We continue to emphasize that there is absolutely no room for hateful or threatening comments made about players, teams or anyone affiliated with the WNBA,” the WNBA said. “We’re aware of the most recent matter and are working with league and team security as well as law enforcement on appropriate security measures.”

Casademont, who hails from Girona, Spain, also played in the WNBA in 2015 and 2016 when she played with the Phoenix Mercury. She also played in European leagues before announcing her retirement in 2021. Stewart and Casademont have two children: three-year-old Ruby and one-year-old Theo.

Stewart, 30, is a New York State native who was born and raised in the Syracuse area, where she enjoyed success on the basketball court throughout high school and went on play for UConn. 

She was selected by the Seattle Storm as the first overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft — the same year she won her first Olympic gold medal while playing for the US Women’s national team. She went on to win gold medals with the same team in 2020 and 2024. 

Stewart is also a two-time WNBA champion, two-time WNBA MVP, and six-time WNBA all-star.

On Oct. 16, the WNBA announced Stewart was selected to the 2024 All-WNBA First Team for a sixth season in a row. Stewart finished the regular season averaging 20.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Stewart also reached a key milestone this year when she scored her 5,000th career point, making her the fastest player to achieve the feat — in just 242 games.

Game four of the WNBA finals is slated to take place in Minneapolis on Oct. 18. at 8 p.m. EST. The Liberty holds a 2-1 advantage.