Breanna Stewart Is Helping to Change the Course of Professional Women’s Hoops

Most recently, the Syracuse native has been a starting forward for the New York Liberty since 2023; she’s a part of the team’s “big three” alongside Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones. In 2024, Stewie helped lead the team to its first-ever WNBA Championship. And just a few weeks ago, she won another championship, this time with an overseas team in Turkey. The WNBA season tips off on May 8, and Stewie has already played so much basketball these last few months, but she’s not feeling the least bit burnt out.

“Ever since the Liberty season finished [last year], I’ve been waiting for it to start again,” she says. “I’m excited. We have a new staff, some new players, everything is new, and I just want to be back in front of the fans again.”

She’s been finding wins off the court, too, but not just for herself. Earlier this spring, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA, often just called the “PA”) reached a historic collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the WNBA that massively increased players’ salaries, among many other significant improvements. It’s already been life-changing for the athletes, who’ve for the first-time in their careers, seen million dollar contracts. It is an overdue and welcome change for the league and feels especially poignant as The W enters its 30th season. As the vice president of the PA, Stewie was at the forefront in advocating for these changes.

“Players won’t have to feel like they have to be playing basketball nonstop,” she says about the CBA. “They can play during The W season and then decide if they want to keep playing in the wintertime, if they want to go overseas, or play Unrivaled. And it’s not because you need money now. It’s because literally you want to and if you want to focus on your game and work on that. We’re now getting into a territory where players are going to start to be able to have the means to not only survive in the offseason but really thrive.”

Fresh out of practice, Stewie hopped on the phone with me to chat about her upcoming 10th season, the evolution of The W, how the city influences her personal style, all the NYC restaurants she’s itching to try with her wife, and the NYC playgrounds she wants to take their kids.

You haven’t even been back in the States a full week yet and already so much has happened—training camp, preseason game, just getting out of practice now. What do you do to take care of yourself mentally and emotionally while being so on the go?

I like to go shopping. I’ve been just going home and being with Marta and the kids, hanging out, watching the NBA Playoffs. We had an off day on Sunday, because we had a preseason game Saturday, and we went to brunch and a farmer’s market. So trying to do the New York things a little bit. Me and Marta, this year our plan is to go to as many new restaurants as possible in New York. We’re on a mission to really go around and find the best food. Michelin star or not, I want the best ones. We have a list. We just went to Danny’s in Tribeca.

Oh my gosh, do y’all use the Beli app?

No, do I need it?

Definitely! It’s basically social media but for tracking, rating, and wish-listing all the restaurants you try or want to try. It’s fun!

Okay, wait, I’m getting that really quick then I’m focused.

I think you’ll like it! Do you like being on the go or would you rather stay put?

I do, but I was looking forward to being back home in New York and having my family and me really get into a schedule. It’s more my comfort knowing, like, I go to Barclays, this is where I practice, and this is where I drop my kids off at school. And getting to sleep in my own bed, that’s the biggest thing.

There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. I know you’re used to winning back-to-back championships, but what was it like to win with two different teams in a very short period of time?

To win Unrivaled and to be a cofounder and having won in my second season with the team was really exciting. I enjoyed playing for [my coach] Zach, and I enjoyed my teammates a lot, and we had a lot of fun in our short stint in Miami.

For the team in Turkey, I literally said to them, “I’m just here to help. So whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it,” while acknowledging this is not my team—I’m not going to come in here and try to run the show. I was just doing whatever they needed and respecting all that those players had done to get to that point. I’m happy we were able to walk away with another Euro League Championship.

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When I think about you and your career, the word “winner” always comes to mind because you’ve won at every highest level. Does winning mean anything different to you now than it did when you were younger?

I think now winning means legacy. It’s something that I just want to keep doing. I’m 31, but I have some tread on my tires a little bit, and I want to show people how to do it. I want them to feel that moment. When we won [the WNBA Championship] with the Liberty, that was insane. All of it—the fans, the parade, everything. And I want my teammates to feel that again, because the city was behind us, and they still are 1,000 percent. That parade, feeling those goosebumps, that feeling when you’re bumping to “Empire State of Mind,” I want everybody to feel that.

This will be your 10th season in The W. What feels most significant about that to you?

Just realizing where I started to where I am now—of being a rookie, having my first season in Seattle, going through some adversity, rupturing my Achilles, winning [the WNBA Championship with the Storm], moving to New York. I’ve been through a lot, and I really just bring that perspective with me as I go forward. And now I’m appreciating it. I was in the league when we had roommates, and now you have people on million dollar contracts. We’re just scratching the surface of where we’re going to be, and that’s really exciting.

Did you ever feel like your identity was connected to winning?

I feel like my identity was tied to winning. I won a lot when I was in college. If I could go back, I would tell my rookie self, “Be prepared because you’re going to lose games.” My rookie season, we were like 17-18 or something like that—like, under 500. I only lost, like, five games in college. So that was a bit of a shock to my system. I know what type of player I am; it was just more frustrating because I knew what I could do and I knew the impact that I had.

Have you ever struggled with imposter syndrome?

No, I don’t think so. Sometimes mentally, you’re up and down, especially with an injury or having to play through something or just having patience. But I’m confident in who I am, and I know it, and I have all the things to back it. So even if there’s a moment of something wavering, I’m like, No, look at what you did, at what you’ve done, and remember who you are.

How did you cultivate that confidence?

It’s definitely some self-talk. Like before every game, I think about being dominant and knowing that the other teams can’t guard me but also working through it. I’m in the gym, too. If something’s not working, I want to figure out why and how I can make it work.

Marta played professional basketball, too. What’s it like having a spouse who understands what it’s like to be a professional athlete but specifically in the same sport?

Marta’s someone that’s played in the WNBA, in the Olympics, she gets it, she understands the grind behind it and how practice days can be sometimes. We can talk about how I’m feeling on the court. I want to hear her perspective. She does her best to make sure I’m not feeling overwhelmed if I have a lot going on and just reminding me to focus on the main thing and that’s playing and being there for my team and for my family.

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I love that. I’m obsessed with y’all’s PDA. Tell me a little bit about y’all’s dynamic.

Marta is my rock, my backbone. We just enjoy each other’s company. She’s literally what’s keeping our house and our family afloat during the season. When I’m away or in practice all the time, she makes it so I’m able to be where my feet are and focus on that. So I’m either with my team or with my family.

How would she describe you?

Probably as loving but competitive, crazy, and funny. I think I’m funny. She must think I’m funny, too. Sometimes it’s the dry sarcasm, and she’s just rolling her eyes at me. This is our seventh year together, married five. It’s coming up in July. We don’t have any anniversary plans. I’ll probably be playing. We’re going to look at some of the spots on Beli and go to dinner!

Tell me what a rainy day looks like with you two and the kids at home. What are the vibes? Like, what’s happening?

The kids have a toy room, so we’re probably up there. But my kids, who are 4 and 2, right now they’re screaming. My son—I don’t know if he doesn’t hear volume or what—he is just constantly screaming. We’re singing Frozen, specifically “Let It Go,” then probably watching a movie or TV. If it’s not raining, we try to go outside to a park. I also want to go to playgrounds—that’s my next thing on my list. I want to go to restaurants and playgrounds. There’s this whale playground that I keep talking to Marta about on the west side on the water. I want to go there with the kids so badly because it looks so cool.

How would you say motherhood has shaped you as a competitor, if at all?

It means even more, because I’m a role model to a lot of kids, but now my kids in the house are looking up to me and following everything that I do. So it’s about making sure that they see the best of me at all times. And you know, even when I have bad days, that I’m still gonna be good. They copy everything I do.

My kids, they’re so innocent and so unaware of everything that’s happening. I could lose a game and I’ll come home and they’ll be like, “Mommy, you want to play like unicorn Candy Land” or something like that. And it just really puts it into perspective that the world is going to keep spinning. Sometimes we have bad days at the office, but my kids always show up for me, and I’m going to always show up for them.

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The way people talk about moms and dads in professional sports is very different. How do you feel about that?

Being a parent and raising children is definitely hard enough. No matter who does it, but there’s something to mom strength. There is something behind that. When my kids were younger, you literally had sleepless nights, and you wake up and you go to practice or you go play a game. And somehow, you just keep going. They give me added strength. I don’t know how or where it comes from, but you just keep going.

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This is The W’s 30th year, which is really exciting. What has been most exciting for you to see around the change in the growth in the league these last few years?

The historic CBA that we were able to accomplish and being able to get everything we wanted and more. We are now a part of a revenue share model, we are getting 20 percent of growth, and that’s going to continue to make our number hopefully grow year after year. Some salaries can continue to grow but also still having housing provided for those that need it. The benefits for family planning are going up—401(k)s, back pay to retire players. There’s so much that we accomplished in the CBA, and I’m really excited about it because it’s not only touching the current players but also the former ones who have gotten us here and gotten us to have a successful 30 seasons before this.

Outside of the pay, is there anything else that felt especially overdue?

Pay is the biggest one, but I think the family planning is a big one, too. You used to be eligible for it after your eighth year of service, and now it’s after year two. You get a certain stipend or amount of money if you want to freeze your eggs, do IVF, or whatever the case may be. That stuff is expensive. And as an athlete, you can’t just freeze your eggs whenever you want because that means you have to stop working out. And you’re obviously healthiest when you’re younger, especially with that fertility aspect of it, so now players can make that decision a lot sooner if they want to.

You’re vice president of the players’ association and had a direct hand in advocating for these changes. Why was it important to you to be a part of the leadership?

Like you said, I wanted to be an advocate for the players and really understand what everybody’s wants and needs are and being able to really use my platform to help fight that fight and show up every day, whether it was showing up the meetings or on the calls and really knowing the things that I was pushing for but also the things that everybody else wants and just really being able to be that kind of voice for everybody.

I’m going to switch gears and talk a little bit about fashion. You’re one of my favorite players to see tunnel walk. What has been one of your favorite tunnel looks?

I don’t know exactly which one, but every time I get to wear Issey Miyake, I just love it. It’s comfortable, it’s leisure, it’s casual. You can dress it up or dress it down—that’s what I want.

We need that versatility. Who or what influences your personal style?

New York influences my personal style, just seeing the vibes. I told Marta I want to start dressing up. Yeah, it’s annoying to wake up in the morning and put on jeans and stuff like that. But, like, I’m in New York and I want to be like a New Yorker. I’m going to dress it up for opening night because you have to make sure that that is always a top outfit. And then I have to think about it a little bit for the rest of the season. I got some boots in there. A lot of Puma. I’m excited.

Okay, we have just over six minutes left, so let’s do our famous Cosmo Sports rapid-fire questions: Your bodega order.

I’m a chop chop in the deli.

The one thing that makes you feel powerful.

My watch.

Okay, I love that. Most famous person in your contact list.

A Boogie.

That’s a really good one. What’s your current fixation?

Oh, I keep telling Marta I want to donate all my clothes. Someone said that you’re only supposed to have 95 pieces of clothing, and I have, like, way more than 95, so I keep trying to tell myself that I only want just 95. I want to live the simple. But it’s not working.

What’s one product you can’t live without right now?

My electric toothbrush. I love it.

That is so 30-plus-coded, I love it. Okay, when do you feel your most attractive and most confident?

I feel most confident when I’m dressed up and when I put a good ’fit on.

At this very moment, what do you see as the headline of your life.

At this very moment, I see the headline of my life is just trying to be great everywhere. And great vibes.

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This interview has been lightly edited for space and clarity.

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