Breanna Stewart

Breanna Mackenzie Stewart born August 27, 1994), nicknamed "Stewie", is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Mist of Unrivaled. She is one of the most accomplished basketball players in history. Stewart is a founder of the Unrivaled basketball league together with Napheesa Collier.

In high school, Stewart was the National Gatorade Player of the Year, the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, and a McDonald's All-American. She led the University of Connecticut Huskies to four consecutive national championships, was named the Final Four's most outstanding player a record four times, and was a three-time consensus national player of the year.

She was the first overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft and was named the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year. She was named the WNBA MVP in 2018 and 2023, and was named an All-Star in 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. She led the Storm to two championships in 2018 and 2020, and received the WNBA Finals MVP award both times. She also won the 2024 WNBA championship with the New York Liberty. In 2021, Stewart was named to The W25 as one of the top 25 players of the WNBA's first 25 years.

Stewart is a three-time EuroLeague Women champion and was MVP of the league in 2019, as well as winning national league titles in Russia and Turkey.

As a member of the U.S. women's national team, Stewart has won gold medals in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympics and at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIBA World Cups.

Early life Stewart was born Breanna Mackenzie Baldwin in Syracuse, New York, to a single mother, Heather Baldwin. Her biological father was not involved in her life, and her mother worked multiple jobs to support herself and her daughter. When Stewart was a toddler, her mother began dating Brian Stewart, who later adopted Stewart after marrying Baldwin. She has a younger half-brother, Connor.

Stewart began playing basketball at an early age. Due to her height her coaches wanted her inside as a rebounder, but her father encouraged her to practice ball handling skills and a perimeter shooting ability. She started a daily routine of dribbling around her block, wearing headphones, for a mile. The perpetrator, who was married to her maternal aunt, confessed to the abuse and ultimately served prison time. 40 games of 2013–2014 season. She led the team at 19.4 points and 2.8 blocks per game, was second on the team with 8.1 rebounds per game, and fourth on the squad at 49.7 percent shooting and her 291 field goals made was the third-highest single-season total in UConn history. Her 324 rebounds marked the 12th-highest single-season total in school history, and her 110 blocks was the third-highest mark.

Junior year Stewart earned American Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors for the second straight year in 2014–15, marking the fifth time a Husky was selected as the conference player of the year multiple times. She elevated nearly every aspect of her game during UConn's nine-game run through the postseason, averaging 18.1 points on 53.3 percent shooting to go along with 10.7 rebounds, and made 42.1 percent (8–19) of her attempts from beyond the 3-point arc during postseason action. She entered her senior year in 11th place on UConn's all-time scoring list with 1,960 career points, only 30 points behind Renee Montgomery's 10th-place total. She entered 2015–16 in fifth place on UConn's all-time blocked shots list with 288 career rejections and finished the season with 856 career rebounds, which is the 10th-highest total in UConn history.

Senior year In her final season at UConn, Stewart posted career highs in rebounds (8.7 rpg), assists (4.0 apg) and blocks (126) while shooting 57.9 percent from the floor, sweeping all possible individual honors: she won her third straight Naismith College Player of the Year award, Wade Trophy, Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year award, USBWA Women's National Player of the Year award; she was also voted American Athletic Player of the Year (third time) and a third straight unanimous First-Team All-American in WBCA, USBWA and AP polls. She was the first-ever unanimous pick for AP Player of the Year and the first-ever three-time AP Player of the Year. In leading UConn to another national championship, she was part of the first four-time national championship class in NCAA history and also became the first player to be named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player four times. In her college career Stewart won 151 games and lost 5, which included four straight national championships. She is the first NCAA basketball player ever to tally 400 assists and block 400 shots. She was one of only six Huskies with at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Stewart finished her career second on UConn's all-time scoring list at 2,676 career points, fourth with 1,179 career rebounds, and first in blocks (414).

In October 2025, the Associated Press selected Stewart as one of the greatest collegiate players in the women's poll era alongside Caitlin Clark, Cheryl Miller, Candace Parker, and Diana Taurasi as the starting five players.

Professional career

Stewart's professional career has been split by summer stints in the WNBA where she has collected three titles, as well as in China, Russia, Türkiye while gaining two EuroLeague championships.

WNBA Seattle Storm

Stewart was drafted first overall in the 2016 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm. She would play alongside superstar veteran point guard Sue Bird. Stewart immediately made an impact in the league as she scored 23 points in her debut game against the Los Angeles Sparks. As the season progressed, Stewart continued to dominate offensively as she scored a career-high 38 points in a win against the Atlanta Dream, which is the second most points scored in a game in franchise history, behind Lauren Jackson's 47 points. Stewart averaged 18.3 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game and 1.8 blocks per game by the end of the 2016 season. She swept the Rookie of the Month awards for the entire season leading up to her winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award by a landslide. Stewart also broke the WNBA record for most defensive rebounds in a season with 277 defensive rebounds (surpassing Lisa Leslie's record in 2004). Despite the record, Stewart didn't win the rebounding title, sharing the top spot with Tina Charles for most rebounds, who led the league in rebounds per game average. Her season performance helped lead the Storm back to the playoffs for the first time in 3 years with the number 7 seed in the league, but lost in the first round elimination game to the Atlanta Dream. Stewart won the 2016 ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete. The other nominees were Elena Delle Donne, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Biles. She also won Best Women's College Basketball Player at the 2016 ESPYs.

In 2017, Stewart continued to flourish after an impressive rookie season. She was voted into the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her first career all-star game appearance. On August 5, 2017, Stewart scored a season-high 32 points in an 87–80 overtime loss to the San Antonio Stars. Stewart would finish the season with a career-high of 19.9 points per game as the Storm finished with the number 8 seed in the league, but were once again a first-round exit as they were eliminated by the Phoenix Mercury.

In 2018, Stewart would elevate her play to a superstar level. She was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game for her second all-star game appearance. On August 6, 2018, Stewart scored a season-high 32 points in a 96–80 victory over the New York Liberty, making it her fourth 30-point game of the season. By the end of the season, Stewart was ranked second in the league in scoring, she averaged new career-highs in scoring, steals, field goal percentage and three-point percentage. Stewart would also win the MVP award. This helped the Storm to a 26–8 record with the number 1 seed in the league, receiving a double-bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Stewart started off the series strong with a 28-point performance along with a career-high 6 three-pointers in a 91–87 victory against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1. The Storm would end up winning the series in five games, advancing to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2010. In the Finals, the Storm would defeat the Washington Mystics in a three-game sweep, winning their first championship in 8 years. Stewart averaged 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals during the series. Stewart won Finals MVP, becoming the sixth player in league history to win both league MVP and Finals MVP in the same year.

Stewart missed the entire 2019 WNBA season after suffering an injury while playing for Russian club Dynamo Kursk in the 2019 EuroLeague Women final on April 14 that was later confirmed to be a torn Achilles. She returned to the U.S. the day after the injury and underwent surgery in Los Angeles later that week. Because the WNBA currently lacks any kind of inactive list, the Storm suspended Stewart in order to free up a roster spot. Shortly thereafter, the league made her a paid ambassador for the 2019 season, making her the first active player to fill such a role. Stewart earned slightly more in that role than she would have as a player. In July 2020, Stewart returned to playing, rejoining her teammates at the IMG Academy for training. She won her second title with the Storm in 2020 and was named the 2020 WNBA Finals MVP. In 2020 Sports Illustrated named her one of its Sportspeople of the Year for her activism off the court. During the WNBA's 25th season in 2021, Stewart was named to The W25 as one of the top 25 players in league history.

New York Liberty On February 1, 2023, Stewart signed with the New York Liberty in free agency. In the debut home opener on May 21, 2023, against the Indiana Fever, Stewart scored 45 points and set a new franchise record for most points scored in a game by a single player, set a franchise record for most made field goals at 15, and set a career high in scoring as well as three-pointers made. In her first season with the Liberty, Stewart averaged 23 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.57 blocked shots and 1.45 steals in 34.1 minutes in 40 games. MVP voters awarded Stewart as the 2023 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player, making Stewart the eighth player in WNBA history to win the award more than once. The Liberty were the second seed heading into the 2023 WNBA playoffs and made it to the championship final round, falling short in game 4 to the Las Vegas Aces in a 70–69 loss. Stewart finished the 2023 postseason averaging 18.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.9 blocks over 10 games.

On October 20, 2024, the New York Liberty won its first-ever WNBA Championship in franchise history when it defeated the Minnesota Lynx in a 3-2 Finals series.

Stewart finished the 2024 postseason averaging 19.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 blocks over 11 games. The Liberty's Finals victory made Stewart's third WNBA Championship.

Overseas For her first full rookie season, Stewart signed with Shanghai Baoshan Dahua of the WCBA for the 2016–17 Chinese campaign. In 2017, Stewart re-signed with Shanghai for the 2017–18 WCBA season.

In June 2018, Stewart made a move to Europe and signed with Dynamo Kursk of the Russian Premier League. Here, she was named MVP of EuroLeague Women for the first time. She also claimed the Russian Premier League title.

She departed to sign with Fenerbahçe of Türkiye on 1 July 2022 for EuroLeague Women season. In Istanbul, Stewart landed the Turkish League title and was named Euroleague Final Four MVP for the second time as Fener landed the European championship, scoring 35 points in the final defeat of Mersin.

On February 16, 2026, Fenerbahçe announced that she rejoined the club for the remainder of the EuroLeague Women season.

Unrivaled On July 9, 2024, Stewart was formally announced to play in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by herself and Napheesa Collier in July 2023. She plays for the Mist. She scored the first basket in league history.

Mist won the 2026 championship. Stewart won MVP of the finals, recording 32 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and the game winning shot.

National team career U16 Stewart was selected to join the USA Basketball U16 team, at age 14, the youngest member of the team; all other team members were 15 or 16. The USA Pan American team members were usually chosen from the college ranks, although many of the other countries use their national teams, which include professional players. Stewart was the only high school player chosen for the 2011 Pan American team, and only the second high school player in Pan American team history for the USA teams. The only other high school player on a Pan American team was Nancy Lieberman, who played on the 1975 team, almost 20 years before Stewart was born.

Stewart was a member of the USA Women's Pan American Team which participated in basketball at the 2015 Pan American Games held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada July 10 to 26, 2015. The USA won games against Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, before losing the gold-medal game to the host team Canada.

She again won gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo where she averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game and was named the Olympic Tournament's Most Valuable Player and to the FIBA's All-Star Five team.

In June 2024, Stewart was named to her third US women's Olympic team to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in France, alongside fellow Liberty teammate, Sabrina Ionescu. Stewart and the United States defeated France 67–66 in the final, earning her third consecutive gold medal and the United States' eighth consecutive gold medal. At the end of the Olympic tournament, she was again named to FIBA's All-Star Five team.

Off the court Personal life

In 2018, Stewart posed nude for ESPN's The Body Issue magazine.

Stewart is a lesbian and is married to former WNBA and EuroLeague Spanish professional basketball player Marta Xargay Casademont. The couple started dating while teammates at Dynamo Kursk. Stewart proposed in May 2021, and they were married on July 6, 2021.

In August 2021, about 48 hours after Stewart won an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, their first child, Ruby Mae Stewart-Xargay, was born via surrogacy. In May 2023, the couple announced via Instagram that Xargay Casademont was pregnant with their second child. In October 2023, the couple's second child, Theo Josep Stewart Xargay, was born.

Business interests In 2016, Stewart signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Nike.

In 2021, she signed a multi-year sponsorship with Puma. In September 2022 she released the company's first female signature shoes in over a decade, called Stewie 1 Quiet Fire.

In July 2023, Stewart and Napheesa Collier founded a new professional women's 3-on-3 basketball league, Unrivaled, in part to allow WNBA players to play domestically and to bypass complications from the WNBA's prioritization rule for players who choose to play overseas in the WNBA offseason. Unrivaled's inaugural season began in January 2025 in Miami, Florida. In July 2024, when Ally Financial was announced as Unrivaled's first and founding brand partner, Stewart also signed with and joined Team Ally as an athlete. In 2025, she was selected to the Time 100 list, honoring the 100 most influential people in the world, for her work with Unrivaled.

Career statistics

†Denotes seasons in which Stewart won a WNBA championship*Denotes seasons in which Stewart won an NCAA championship

WNBA Regular season Stats current through end of 2025 season

College

Awards and honors

International WNBA 3x WNBA Champion: 2018, 2020, 2024 2x WNBA Finals MVP: 2018, 2020 2x WNBA MVP: 2018, 2023 3x Commissioner's Cup Champion: 2021, 2023, 2026 Commissioner's Cup MVP: 2021, 2026 The W25 (Top 25 Players in League History) (2021) Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (2020) ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete and Best Female College Player (2016)

USA Basketball 3× Olympic Gold Medalist (2016, 2020, 2024) 3× FIBA Women's World Cup Champion (2014, 2018, 2022) FIBA Women's World Cup MVP (2018) FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup MVP (2013) USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (2011, 2013, 2018) ALL-STAR FIVE of Paris Olympics 2024 Women's Basketball

International EuroLeague Women champion (2021, 2023) EuroLeague Women Regular Season MVP (2019) EuroLeague Women Final Four MVP (2021, 2023) All-EuroLeague First Team (2023) Russian Premier League champion (2021) Russian Super Cup champion (2021) Turkish Super League champion (2023)

College 4x NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)(making her the first person to be most outstanding player of the Final Four four times) 3× Naismith College Player of the Year (2014, 2015, 2016) 3× USBWA Women's National Player of the Year (2014, 2015, 2016) (2014, 2015, 2016)(making her the first female college basketball player to win that award three times) 3× American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year (2014, 2015, 2016) (2014,2015,2016) Honda-Broderick Cup and named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year (2016) James E. Sullivan Award, basketball (2015) Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (2014)

High school Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2012) USA Today Player of the Year (2012) Gatorade Female Basketball Player of the Year (2012) Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year (2012) McDonald's All-American (2012)