NBC’s WNBA experts break down the 2024 WNBA Finals matchup between the Liberty and Lynx, give their predictions and key players to watch for.
Police are investigating a threatening, homophobic e-mail sent to WNBA power forward Breanna Stewart's wife as the New York Liberty compete in the Finals.
Police did not identify the person who filed the report, but said a 33-year-old woman made an aggravated harassment report on Oct. 10 after receiving “a threatening email.” Stewart confirmed the threats and that her wife filed the report after practice during an interview Tuesday.
The email in question said the couple, “don’t deserve to live and I hope you both die.”
Stewart, 30, who plays for the New York Liberty, is married to former WNBA player and Spanish National Team athlete Marta Xargay Casademont, 33. Stewart and her wife married in July 2021 and share two children together.
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The Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the matter as a possible bias incident on the grounds of sexual orientation discrimination. The New York Post was the first to report on the threat.
“The fact it came to Marta’s email is something she (had to) see. The level of closeness was a little bit different,” she told reporters, according to The Associated Press. “Make sure that myself and Marta are okay, but that our kids are the safest.”
Stewart said she reported the threat to the team and league and Xargay filed a complaint with police. “Being in the Finals and everything like that it makes sense to file something formal,” Stewart said.
The threat came after the Liberty lost in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx. In that game, Stewart missed a free throw with less than a second of time left in regulation that would’ve given the Liberty the lead, and later missed on a layup that would have tied the game at the end of overtime, ESPN reported.
Stewart told ESPN the threatening email came after the Game 1 loss.
“Sometimes people are taking things a little bit too far and too out of context. And Marta had gotten homophobic death threats. A few other things have happened,” she said. The two-time MVP said they reported the matter to make sure “we’re doing as much as possible to continue to make sure that our team and the league is aware of the situation and continue to keep everybody safe.”
NBC News has reached out to the New York Liberty and WNBA for comment.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert also spoke on the rising amount of hateful speech players have received on social media in her address prior to Game 1.
She said the league will meet with the players association, players and teams to address the matter using technology and prioritizing mental health and reinforcing security.
“First of all there's no place in sports for this,” Engelbert said. “It just is something where we have to continue to be a voice for this, a voice against it, condemning it, and making sure that we find every opportunity to support our players, who have been dealing with this for much longer than this year.”
The Liberty and Lynx face off again for Game 3 Wednesday night.
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