With the New York Liberty set to tip off their 2023 WNBA season on the road Friday against the Washington Mystics, forward Breanna Stewart — who won two titles and two Finals MVPs in six seasons with the Seattle Storm before signing a free-agent deal with the Libs in February — takes a shot at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: How would you define what a powerful woman is, and do you consider yourself one?
A: I definitely consider myself a powerful woman, and I would define that as someone who has a burning fire inside of them to continue to be better — not just for yourself, but for others — and knowing that no matter what we do as women, even if it’s seen as small, it’s big. And we’re constantly having to fight for more — whether that’s the working woman or the mom — there’s a lot that we deserve as women. … As women, you just have to fight, because we’re always used to fighting for more. So, yes.
Q: Tell me about your Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoot.
A: It was an incredible opportunity, just continuing to kind of expand my horizons in what I’m able to do. … We work hard for these bodies, so to be able to show that off was really cool, and … highly recommend if people get the opportunity.
Q: I thought you were shy.
A: I mean, yeah, when I was a teenager I could be shy, but as I continued to grow into an adult, I got comfortable in my own skin. I did the Body issue right after my rookie year.
Q: Why did you decide to go public with your childhood sexual abuse story?
A: I decided to go public with my Me Too story because as I was getting older, as I was getting comfortable in my skin I knew that I had a story to share, and realizing with the growing platform I have, I want to be able to kind of speak on topics on and off the court, and in doing so, that was what was specifically related to me and knowing that being a survivor of sexual abuse, unfortunately it’s something that happens way too often in this world … hoping my story would be able to help someone else. Maybe someone else who hasn’t spoken out, or someone else who has, and giving them the confidence and the courage to kind of keep going and realizing that this is just gonna be a bump in their journey. And it’s not gonna dictate their entire life.
Q: What was it like for you having to hold that in for years, right?
A: To be honest, it was a little bit different because I think when you’ve gone through something traumatic, you almost like put it in a different compartment in your mind, in your brain. So once I got older, and I was busy with basketball and stuff, I knew these things happened to me. But it wasn’t what I woke up and thought about in the beginning of the day. And I think that that also goes to show how survivors of abuse can continue to grow, and continue to move on, because it doesn’t have to be your whole life. And speaking about that kind of just solidified that for me, and now it’s like obviously I’m not happy that it happened to me but also being able to embrace that part and realize that OK, this did happen to me, but look where I am now, and where I’m gonna continue to go.
Q: Tell me about your daughter Ruby Mae.
A: She is 21 months and she acts like she’s like 10 with her opinions on things. She’s the best thing to happen to Marta and I, and just to be able to share all these experiences with her, it’s a completely different perspective of being a mom and being a working parent. I have role models and I have people that looked up to me and things like that, but when it’s someone so close to home, I want to show her everything. I want to make sure that I’m continuing to raise the bar, so that when she’s a young woman, she’s able to do whatever she wants.
Q: Raise the bar in what way?
A: I think it’s obvious that as women we’re continuing to fight for equality. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re making progress, and especially with the WNBA, there’s a lot that we can be doing better. There’s a lot that’s good, but making sure that the way the CBA is, the salaries, the way that it’s only 5 percent of sports media coverage covering female athletes — that number should be like tenfold. We don’t need to be put in a box. And we don’t need to be fighting over this 5 percent. Instead we need to be continuing to kind of uplift one another and enjoy each other’s successes, and to do that, you need more coverage, so that we’re really able to share the wealth as far as what we’re doing to make our sports better. … Pay equality, making sure that we’re continuing to have an increase in salaries, that we are going to keep asking for charters because we want to be able to perform at our best, and to do that, you need to kind of be able to take care of your body in all ways … gender equality, there’s still a gap that needs to be bridged.
Q: When did you freeze your eggs?
A: I froze my eggs in 2019, when I had my Achilles injury. And it was something that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise, but someone presented it to me, and after being sidelined for so long, it was something that I should consider. It was a great decision, and I think that there’s many ways to do reproductive planning, and that’s one, and I’m happy I did.
Q: Tell me about Marta Xargay Casademont.
A: Marta is my wife. She is an Olympian for the Spanish national team. She has an incredible basketball career, and now her and I are raising a family. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without her support and her ability to kind of hold down the fort — whether I’m away on the road, or I want to get ready for game days and stuff like that. But as a former basketball player, she’s also someone that I can go to and have these hard conversations about the game and stuff like that. But love her, and happy to have her in my life and have her in my life for many, many years.
Q: What kind of player was she?
A: She was like a 1 through 4. She was more of a defensive-minded player, so she always tells me my defense needs to be better. But she could hit the 3 … basically a guard, just with a big frame, and was doing the dirty work a lot of the time.
Q: How did you meet her?
A: We met playing overseas in Russia, we played on the same team in 2018.
Q: How big of a setback was your Achilles?
A: Well, I ruptured my Achilles in April of 2019, and I think I came back in January of 2020. So, it was rough. Because you think of a ruptured Achilles and you’re like, “Damn, my career is over.” But with the latest technology and the way that surgeries were happening, I was just really kind of trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And in the beginning it was really tough, because it was like, “Why did this happen to me? Why did I rupture my Achilles?” But I continued to kind of just show up every day, and now my Achilles is like locked in, that thing is not going anywhere. … Just another thing, another piece of adversity from my journey, and also a perspective of making sure that I don’t take anything for granted with being on that court, and being able to move the way that I want.
Q: Why are people calling the Liberty a superteam?
A: People are calling us a superteam because we had a pretty crazy free agency, crazy offseason. I’ll take it, I’ll take the superteam, but we need to kind of live up to the hype that’s on paper.
Q: What about championship-or-bust expectations?
A: Technically, that should be the expectation every year. We have some players who are returning to the Liberty, some new, some that have won, some that haven’t won. … Of course we want to win a championship, that’s our goal, and I don’t think we would be having the right mindset if that wasn’t our goal this season. Now it’s just about continuing to make sure that every day we get better because we know that … we’re not gonna win a championship in a day or a week or this month. It’s gonna be something that, hopefully, we’ll do in October and really wanting to be our best then.
Q: Let’s talk about some of your teammates. What can you tell me about Sabrina Ionescu’s game?
A: Sabrina’s someone who’s a fierce competitor, obviously. Her game definitely speaks for itself. She’s been able to kind of have success in multiple positions — playmaker, scoring — and I think that having this roster and all these other versatile great players around her will let her continue to have more space to do what she does.
Q: But she’s not more of a fierce competitor than you are, is she?
A: I don’t know. … It doesn’t need to be a competition, we can both be fierce competitors.
Q: Jonquel Jones.
A: Someone that I’ve played against for a while. We’ve known each other since we were pretty young. And, it’s much better to be on her side than playing against her, but her versatility — 6-7, able to handle, stretch the 3 … One of the things that people aren’t really talking about is the spacing that we’re gonna have on this team, the ability to stretch the floor, and to have J.J. as a highly skilled offensive player but then a rim protector … it’s exciting.
Q: Courtney Vandersloot.
A: Sloot’s someone that I’ve been looking forward to playing with for years. I had a little glimpse of USA Basketball probably back in 2014 maybe … but her IQ, her vision, she’s able to kind of see the next play before it happened. She’s gonna be the one that really kind of drives this team and leads us just from the point guard perspective.
Q: Betnijah Laney.
A: Blue-collar, hard worker. Her ability to kind of defensively change the game, be the “it” factor, be the one that is doing the dirty work and taking pride in that, and constantly working and just trying to make it difficult for the other team.
Q: Kayla Thornton.
A: Kayla’s someone that I’m also happy to not be playing against because defensively she’s just really tough, she’s strong, physical. And now just continues to give us added depth in the way that we can play her in multiple positions.
Q: Stefanie Dolson.
A: Center, another person that’s just gonna have the ability to stretch the floor, can see all over, has been in New York before so kind of knows what to expect here, but just gonna help us in whatever way we need.
Q: Coach Sandy Brondello.
A: It’s great to be on the same side as her having a different perspective with things, and also just seeing how she does things, seeing how she’s competitive, the fact that she’s willing to tell people the hard truth sometimes and know that it’s for the better of the team. She has managed many teams with great players before, and I think she’s just taking this year as a challenge and the years to come, but really the staff has been great since I got here.
Q: Are you entering your prime?
A: Yeah, I’m definitely entering my prime. You could say last year I was maybe entering my prime, and now this year, now I’m in my prime.
Q: Is there one part of your game that still bothers you being the perfectionist that you are?
A: As an offensive player, I want to be shooting the ball at a high percentage … now it’s different things, the awareness, how teams are gonna play me, what reads are gonna be made on the court, and seeing that but also teaching my teammates how to see that too. And being a leader, having been through many, many experiences, having won and trying to just share the wealth a little bit as far as making sure people know how they can continue to get better. … Then defensively, because my wife always tells me I need to be better on defense.
Q: You were a four-time NCAA champion at UConn, you’ve won two gold medals among many other things. You never get tired of winning, is that right?
A: No, I never get tired of winning. I want to do it more. As a competitor, that’s the whole reason of playing.
Q: How would you sum up your Seattle Storm experience?
A: Seattle holds a special place in my heart, and it was really difficult for me to leave. The fans, the staff, the organization, it was truly an honor to be there to represent Seattle, and looking forward to kind of going back and being back in that environment, just on a different team. But I know that when you leave teams, those relationships, they keep on.
Q: How do you feel about playing on the New York stage?
A: This feels right. And I felt that kind of walking on the street, and just knowing that I made the right decision, and what this franchise and everyone involved in this staff are doing to continue to elevate the game for the WNBA but for women’s sports in general hasn’t been done before. And obviously, between us and Vegas we’re just continuing to kind of make sure that we have everything that we need to be successful.
Q: Give me an example of the passion or the energy you observed walking around Brooklyn.
A: People are excited and ready for Liberty basketball this summer. I was walking on the street a few times, and I had people yelling “Stewie!” or they’re yelling “Go Liberty.” It’s just gonna be another spark that we need. I think that Liberty fans definitely showed up when the team last year made it to the playoffs, but now we want it to be consistent and constant, and know that whenever a team comes into New York, it’s gonna be a tough game.
Q: How is the New York crowd different?
A: I would say the New York crowd is passionate … can be fierce, can be a little bit borderline aggressive and things, but they want to succeed and they want their team to succeed, and just representing New York with pride.
Q: What style of play should Liberty fans expect?
A: It’s gonna be high intensity, we’re gonna move the ball, we’re gonna continue to score at a high clip, but we’re also gonna make sure that we set the tone defensively, and I think our defense is really what’s gonna fuel our offense. Like I said, we have a ton of people who can space, can score and it’s just gonna be like pick your poison, I don’t know.
Q: Favorite Brooklyn things?
A: I like to be outside, I like to walk on the Brooklyn Bridge, I like to go to Pies and Thighs. … The weather’s just starting to get warm, so I think we’re looking forward to having like a full summer, ’cause in Seattle sometimes that’s a little bit hit or miss … having access to everything you want.
Q: Among your many highlights, where would being the youngest player to win a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics rank?
A: To win an Olympic gold is pretty much the highest thing that I’ve done. I think that’s the top of the top, best of the best. You’re playing on the biggest stage in the world representing your country, playing with and against the best basketball players in the world. That’s been a goal of mine since I was really young, so to be able to do that is something that I put in a high regard, and I hope I can do it many more times.
Q: Who were your role models?
A: My parents for sure, my grandma, my grandparents, but when you look at like celebrities, players like Candace Parker, Diana [Taurasi], Maya [Moore], anybody with versatility, KD [Kevin Durant], Dirk [Nowitzki] … those are the people that I kind of modeled my game after.
Q: What were your thoughts on the women’s NCAA championship showdown between LSU’s Angel Reese and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark?
A: I think it was great for women’s basketball. I think it was an amazing opportunity and a huge spotlight for woman’s college sports, especially with the NIL and all of that. They’ve really taken advantage of that and make sure that they lived up to the hype. Two incredible players that are gonna continue to have successful careers in college, and hopefully we’ll see ’em one day in the W.
Q: You missed out on NIL. You might have been a millionaire.
A: (Laugh) Definitely wish that the NIL happened a little bit sooner, but still to see these female athletes, these college athletes, getting what they deserve is a success, and just knowing that we’re finally at a point where people are seeing and understanding the value that everyone has.
Q: Describe former Storm teammate Sue Bird.
A: A great friend, amazing teammate, someone who I looked up to when I was younger. I can say honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am without Sue, just the way that she continues to be comfortable in her own skin, the way that she continues to speak up and advocate for others. Being a part of that for seven years was a pleasure, and you realize that not many people get to play with Sue Bird, and I was one of those players. Definitely gonna miss her a lot, but she’ll be courtside at some of our games this year.
Q: Is there room in the same town for you and Aaron Rodgers?
A: (Laugh) I definitely think that there’s room for both of us in the same town. What a free agency for all the New York teams, and it’ll be exciting to hopefully go to a game.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Michelle Obama, Jay-Z, Ellen Pompeo.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Harry Potter.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Michael B. Jordan.
Q: Favorite actress?
A: Meredith Grey … Ellen Pompeo.
Q: Favorite entertainer?
A: Drake.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Pizza.
Q: Tell me all the reasons why you’re proud of yourself.
A: I’m proud of myself because I think I’m humble, I think I’m grounded, I think I’m a fun-loving person … obviously a competitor, a winner. But to be able to do all the things that I’ve done and still have appreciation and just a lot of respect for the people that I’m with, I think that that’s what I want to be looked at and seen as.
Q: What is it like being Stewie?
A: It’s busy, but I’m literally living my best life. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.
