CNN
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The New York Police Department (NYPD) is investigating “homophobic death threats” sent via email to New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart’s wife, Marta Xargay, after Game 1 of this year’s WNBA Finals.

Stewart told ESPN’s NBA Today on Tuesday that the message was sent to Xargay, a former WNBA player, and that she and her wife informed the Liberty and League of the situation.

The NYPD told CNN in a statement that it was aware of the incident: “On Sunday, October 13, 2024, at approximately 6:15 p.m., an email was sent to a family member of a WNBA player with a threatening message. The investigation is ongoing.”

Stewart, a two-time WNBA MVP, had a chance to win Game 1 of the Finals for New York but missed one of two free throws at the end of regulation time and was then off target with a layup. end of overtime. The Minnesota Lynx ultimately won the opener, but the series is now tied at 1-1 heading into Game 3 on Wednesday.

“Sometimes people take things a little too far and out of context and Marta was getting homophobic death threats,” Stewart told NBA Today’s Malika Andrews.

“A few other things have happened, but we’re just making sure we do as much as we can to make sure our team and the league are aware of the situation and continue to keep everyone safe,” she said.

In a statement, a WNBA spokesperson told CNN that the league “will continue to emphasize that there is absolutely no room for hateful or threatening comments about players, teams or anyone affiliated with the WNBA.”

They added: “We are aware of the latest issue and are working with league and team security and law enforcement on appropriate safety measures.”

CNN has reached out to Liberty for comment.

The email comes amid a concerning increase in social media abuse targeting those who play in the WNBA.

Connecticut Sun veteran Alyssa Thomas spoke out after the franchise’s first-round win against the Indiana Fever, saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced the racist comments from the Indiana Fever fanbase in my 11-year career .

“I have never been called anything like I have been on social media, and there is no place for that,” Thomas added.

Last month, Suns guard DiJonai Carrington received backlash after accidentally colliding with Fever star Caitlin Clark during the series. Both Clark and Carrington denied any malicious intent was behind the incident.

Carrington’s girlfriend, Indiana player NaLyssa Smith, described some of the treatment Carrington was subjected to.

“My girlfriend is getting death threats, being followed and verbally abused,” Smith wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Thomas added after the Sun’s first-round win: “We come to play basketball for work and it’s fun, but we don’t want to go to work every day and blow up social media about stuff like that.”

When asked about the increase in abuse, Stewart said she wanted to use her platform to raise awareness.

“Why is this happening? Because we are the most inclusive league in all of professional sports and I can say that with confidence. But there is no place for hate,” Stewart added on Tuesday.

“We want to continue to make sure that I’m not just using this platform to make sure we keep it consistent and really put pressure on the league to keep us safe.

But knowing that this is happening, not just in this league but around the world, is unacceptable.”