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Breanna Stewart’s wife Marta Xargay Casademont received homophobic, violent email after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals

MINNEAPOLIS – New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart said her wife received a homophobic and threatening email after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, which Stewart described as part of an escalating series of messages directed at her and her partner.

Stewart, 30, confirmed Tuesday that her wife, Marta Stewart said Marta’s email address was available on her Instagram account, but it has now been deleted.

“We brought awareness to the team and the league, and a number of other things happened at the same time,” Stewart said Tuesday. “With the spotlight of being in the finals and all that, they said it made the most sense to file (a report).”

Stewart did not go into detail about the contents of the email, but said she wanted to take the opportunity to call out this type of fan behavior.

“I think the threats continued to increase after Game 1, and we like people to be involved in our sport, but not to the point where threats, intimidation or homophobic comments are made,” Stewart said. “So we’re just going to continue to let the league know that they’re handling it, but also for me to just continue to use this platform to make sure that everyone knows that it’s unacceptable to take our sport and really out into the world. ”

The hateful comments come at a time of increased negativity toward WNBA players online. Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington posted a similarly cruel email sent to her during the first round of the playoffs, and players across the league have faced racism and other threats all year.

In her annual speech before the start of the WNBA Finals, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert denounced the “disturbing” hateful messages and said: “We stand united in condemning racism and all forms of hatred. The WNBA is one of the most inclusive and diverse professional sports leagues in the world, and we will continue to champion these values.”

Casademont, 33, is a former Spanish professional basketball player, who plays nationally for Spain and professionally in Europe and for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. Stewart and Casademont married in 2021 and have two children.

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(Photo by Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay Casademont: John David Mercer/USA Today)