The wife of New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart received a threatening, anti-gay email following the team’s Game 1 loss in the WNBA Finals.
Marta Xargay Casademont, who married Stewart in 2021, reported the incident to police in the aftermath of the Thursday, October 10, game between the Liberty and Minnesota Lynx.
“Sometimes people are taking things a little bit too far, too out of context,” Stewart, 30, told ESPN’s Malika Andrews Tuesday, October 15, on NBA Today. “Marta had gotten homophobic death threats. A few other things happened.”
Stewart, whose Liberty face the Lynx in Game 3 of the Finals on Wednesday, October 16, insisted “we’re doing as much as possible to make sure that our team and the league is aware of the situation and continue to keep everybody safe.”
Sports phenomenon Breanna Stewart met her wife, Marta Xargay, while doing the thing she loves best: playing basketball. Stewart, a New York native, was in Russia playing for the team Dynamo Kursk when she met Xargay, who was born in Spain. Both of them joined the squad for the 2018-19 season, but they didn’t immediately […]
The email was sent after Game 1, during which Stewart missed a free throw that would have given the Liberty the lead with 0.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Stewart also missed a layup that would have tied the game at the end of overtime.
The Lynx defeated the Liberty 95-93 in Game 1, erasing an 18-point deficit in the process, which tied for the biggest comeback in WNBA Finals history. The Liberty bounced back in Game 2 on Sunday, October 13, evening up the best-of-five series with an 80-66 victory.
Andrews, 29, noted that the email was sent at a time when “the level of racism, of homophobia, of hate that players are receiving” has been a talking point throughout the WNBA.
“Inside of this league, it’s kind of like, ‘Why is this happening?’” Stewart responded. “We are the most inclusive league in all of professional sports. I can say that with confidence. There’s no place for hate, homophobia, racism.”
Stewart continued, “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 this league, but around the world. It’s unacceptable.”
In a separate call with reporters on Tuesday, Stewart said she and her family are “doing OK” and were taking the “proper precautions” after receiving the message.
While Stewart did not divulge the specific details of the threat, she said it was something Xargay Casademont, 33, “couldn’t not see.”
“The level of closeness was a little bit different,” Stewart explained. “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.”
The couple shares daughter Ruby, 3 and son, Theo, 11 months.
Stewart and the Liberty return to the court for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday, October 16, which tips off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
