Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
Breanna “Stewie” Stewart is one of the most accomplished players in basketball history, and rightfully so. Apart from being an overwhelmingly decorated athlete — she has won several titles, from WNBA championships to the EuroLeague to Olympic gold for the women’s national team — more recently she has led the New York Liberty to a championship, breaking the city’s 50-year streak (NBA and WNBA) without one. Stewart is an advocate on and off the court, including organizing protests with the league for Black Lives Matter; participating in _Shattered Glass,_ a documentary that spotlights the efforts of the W’s players union; and she worked on the latest collective bargaining agreement, which features a slew of benefits not previously awarded to the teams.
In a recent panel — moderated by retired WNBA All-Star and ESPN basketball analyst Chiney Ogwumike — Stewart, CMO of Delta Alicia Tillman, and chief growth officer of the WNBA Colie Edison spoke about Delta’s “Power Forward” series, in partnership with the WNBA, which walks us through the histories and backgrounds of each woman and delves into their career highs and lows. (In 2024, Delta Air Lines was named the official airline partner of the W, providing flights for the players as they travel to and from games. Stewart, along with Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks and Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm, all power forwards on the court, are the subjects of the series.)
Photo: Stacey Salter Moore/SSM PHOTOGRAPHY 2021
**No. 1 rule for being a mom of two young kids?**
My No. 1 rule of being a mom of two young kids is to have plenty of snacks and shut the doors, because right now my 1-and-a-half-year-old is getting into his room, which he should be, but he’s pulling out all the books from the bookshelf and breaking them. So I’m constantly shutting doors ’cause he doesn’t know how to be gentle.
**What’s your No. 1 rule for traveling?**
Well, you should fly Delta! I’m Diamond with Delta, so I always have to throw that in there. I feel like you need to have noise-canceling headphones — ’cause otherwise, you can never watch a show.
**What does your postgame routine look like?**
After the coach comes in, I will go and do a lift. My trainer says to “keep your high day a high day,” so finishing the workout so I can be off the next day. After I lift, I have media and then I’ll go and meet my family at a restaurant, or we’ll just go home and unwind. I’m a bit wired after games, so I just like to hang out.
**How do you feel that you’ve evolved as a player in these nine seasons?**Throughout my nine seasons, I’ve evolved in a lot of different ways: learning the game a little bit more, understanding why and where my movements are coming from, but also building leadership skills and helping the younger players get acclimated with what we’re looking for on the court and how not to let a mistake or a disruption or a small thing turn into a big thing.
**Interest and support for the W is growing year after year. What is it that you want to see for the future of your sport?**
Increased salaries; increased maternal benefits, like family planning; and a pension-type situation. We just want to check all the boxes and make this a league where it’s going to uplift everybody to the level that we should have been at for a long time.
**No. 1 rule for young girls wanting to get into the sport?**
Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t. I feel like as women and as young girls, you probably have people telling you “no” a lot, but those aren’t the people we should be listening to.
**What did it mean to start this new chapter of your career with the New York Liberty?**
To finish the chapter in Seattle and then come to New York was a really big deal for me — finishing with Sue Bird, knowing that she wasn’t going to be playing any longer, and going to a place that’s closer to home for me. This city is the mecca of basketball, you know? I want to be around basketball culture all the time, and I wanted to help bring the Liberty their first-ever championship, and it’s crazy because now we’ve done that. Our goals are bigger and better now.
**No.1 rule for coming up with the perfect tunnel fit?**
Wearing something that you’re comfortable in, where you feel like your most authentic self.
**No. 1 rule for designing a signature shoe?**
I’m gonna give you two rules: It’s gotta be comfy, and the colors have to pop. People want the flashy.
Breanna Stewart’s No. 1 Rule? Equitable Pay.