Hateful Death Threat Sent to WNBA Star Breanna Stewart’s Wife
The NYPD is investigating the menacing email, which comes at a time when several other WNBA players have received anti-LGBTQ messages.
An anonymous homophobe sent a vicious, threatening email to the wife of WNBA superstar and three-time Olympic gold medalist Breanna Stewart.
According to the New York Post, Stewart’s wife, Marta Xargay Casademont, walked into the New York Police Department’s 78th Precinct, in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, on October 10 to inform police of the menacing email.
“I hope someone shoots your wife dead, fuck you dykes, I hope you both die,” the email allegedly read, in part. It reportedly contained other heinous statements and threats.
According to the Post, a memo by NBA security said the email was sent from an Internet address that has been associated with other hateful emails, including death threats, bomb threats, and racist rhetoric.
Casademont, a 33-year-old retired pro basketball player who, married Stewart, who plays for the New York Liberty, in July 2021. The couple are raising two children, aged 3 and 11 months.
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating, although it is unclear whether hate crime charges would be pursued if the anonymous author is apprehended.
Stewart reported the incident to the Liberty and to the league, who advised her and Casademont to file a police report, according to ESPN.
“With the spotlight of being in the Finals and everything like that, they said it makes the most sense to [file something formal],” Stewart told reporters on October 15.
The Liberty are currently competing in the WNBA Finals, where they are tied with the Minnesota Lynx in a five-game series.
Stewart told reporters that she and Casademont are taking “proper precautions” to protect themselves.
“I think that for Marta, especially, I think it was, it is, terrifying,” Stewart said. “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.”
The incident comes as several WNBA players say they’ve experienced an uptick of racist, misogynistic, anti-gay, and otherwise vitriolic behavior directed toward them, which coincides with a time when the league has become much more popular and has more eyes on it in part due to an influx of new star-studded talent.
DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky are among the players who say they have received threatening messages, particularly on social media.
“My girlfriend has been getting death threats, followed, called all type of shit,” Carrington’s girlfriend, Indiana Fever player NaLyssa Smith, wrote on X last month.
anyways now that i can respond freely, my girlfriend has been getting death threats, followed , called all type of shit.
so if sending her flowers to make sure her mental health is okay then coo cry about it . https://t.co/ZVS0PzlbXT
— #1 (@NaLyssaSmith) September 26, 2024
“Why is this happening?” Stewart rhetorically asked reporters. “Because we are the most inclusive league in all of professional sports, and I can say that with confidence. But there’s no place for hate. 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.
“So we’re just continuing to let the league know. They’re handling it, but also, I think for me, just continue to use this platform to make sure that everyone knows that it’s unacceptable to bring to our sport and really into the world.”
“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,” a league spokesperson told The Associated Press.
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