MINNEAPOLIS — New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart said her wife received a homophobic and threatening email before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, which Stewart described as part of an escalating series of messages directed toward her and her partner.
Stewart, 30, confirmed Tuesday that her wife, Marta Xargay Casademont, reported the email to the police and that the couple have been taking the necessary measures to ensure their family’s safety during this heightened time. Stewart said that Marta’s email address was available on her Instagram account, though that has now been removed.
“We made the team aware and the league aware, and there were some other things happening at the same time,” Stewart said Tuesday. “With the spotlight of being in the finals and everything like that, they said it makes the most sense to put (a report) in.”
Stewart did not discuss specifics about the contents of the email but said she wanted to use the opportunity to denounce this type of fan behavior.
“I think that threats continued to build after Game 1, which we love that people are engaged in our sport, but not to the point where there’s threats or harassment or homophobic comments being made,” Stewart said. “So we’re just continuing to let the league know, they’re handling it, but also for me just to continue to use this platform to make sure that everyone knows that it’s unacceptable to bring into our sport and really into the world.”
The hateful comments come at a moment of increased negativity towards WNBA players online. Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington posted a similarly vicious email sent to her during the first round of the playoffs and players throughout the league have dealt with racism and other threats all year.
In her annual address prior to the start of the WNBA Finals, commissioner Cathy Engelbert denounced the “troubling” hateful messages, saying, “We stand united in condemning racism and all forms of hate. The WNBA is one of the most inclusive and diverse professional sports leagues in the world, and we will continue to champion those values.”
Casademont, 33, is a former Spanish professional basketball player, competing nationally for Spain and professionally in Europe and for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. Stewart and Casademont were married in 2021 and have two children.
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(Photo of Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay Casademont: John David Mercer / USA Today)
