Current:Home > Stocks'I have receipts': Breanna Stewart emotional after Liberty get revenge over Aces -Mastery Money Tools
'I have receipts': Breanna Stewart emotional after Liberty get revenge over Aces
View
Date:2025-04-17 12:25:42
LAS VEGAS — Shortly after the New York Liberty had dispatched the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA semifinals on Sunday — winning Game 4, 76-62, to take the series 3-1 — Liberty forward Breanna Stewart wrapped her wife, Marta Xargay, in a long hug on the baseline, tears in both their eyes.
Their emotion wasn’t only because Stewart and the Liberty had just secured their second consecutive trip to the WNBA semifinals.
Last fall, Josep Xargay, Marta’s father, lost his nearly year-long battle with cancer. He died Oct. 5. Later that month, Marta gave birth to the couple's second child, a boy named Theo Josep. (Sister Ruby, one of the most famous toddlers in the WNBA, is 3.)
Josep's illness weighed heavily on Stewart — a two-time WNBA MVP and one of the best basketball players in the world — and her wife, a former hooper from Spain. That was never more evident than in Game 4 of the 2023 Finals, when Stewart shot just 3-of-17 as the Aces won their second straight title — this time, on the Liberty’s home floor.
During the Aces’ celebration in Las Vegas the following week, Vegas coach Becky Hammon crowed all about Stewart’s underwhelming performance. And Stewart hasn’t forgotten about it.
Stewart, who scored 19 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots Sunday, called the 2024 series-clinching win over Las Vegas “emotional” while blinking back tears.
“No matter what, it’s a really tough time,” Stewart said, referencing the anniversary of Josep’s passing. “And just the way the series went last year, kinda going through all of that and making sure this year is different. Marta and I talk about doing everything her dad would want us to do. And you know, I have receipts on the things that were said — the entire team does. My mentality today was to go in and get this win for my wife and her dad.”
When Hammon met with reporters later, she acknowledged that any and all Aces’ comments after last year could have fueled New York’s run this season.
“New York’s had really great will and determination all year,” Hammon said. “We talked a lot of smack last year and I’m sure they heard it. And they got to smack us this year.”
Hammon, known for her fiery on-court personality during her 16-year WNBA playing career, did not directly address Stewart’s comments but emphasized that trash talk “it’s part of the game, it’s not personal.”
“At the end of the day, I have mad respect for those (New York) players, there’s no doubt about it,” Hammon said. “Of course I’m always going to ride with A’ja (Wilson) but I think Stewie is phenomenal. Phenomenal. Stewie is gonna go down as one of the greatest of all time.”
The Finals start Thursday in New York. The top-seeded Liberty will have home court advantage throughout the series, and take on the winner of Tuesday’s Minnesota Lynx-Connecticut Sun matchup.
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell
veryGood! (3127)
Related
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Jimmy Carter's Grandson Shares Health Update on Really Sick Former President
- 10 streaming movies that will keep your kids entertained during the August doldrums
- A proposed constitutional change before Ohio voters could determine abortion rights in the state
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Former Vermont officer accused of pepper-spraying handcuffed, shackled man pleads guilty to assault
- US judge to hear legal battle over Nevada mustang roundup where 31 wild horses have died
- A longshot Republican is entering the US Senate race in Wisconsin against Sen. Tammy Baldwin
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- Jeopardy! game show to reuse questions, contestants during WGA strike
Ranking
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- ‘Native American’ or ‘Indigenous’? Journalism group rethinks name
- Mississippi GOP Gov. Tate Reeves will face Democrat Brandon Presley in the November election
- The end-call button on your iPhone could move soon. What to know about Apple’s iOS 17 change
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- 65-year-old woman hospitalized after apparent shark bite at New York City's Rockaway Beach
- After a glacial dam outburst destroyed homes in Alaska, a look at the risks of melting ice masses
- ESPN strikes $1.5B deal to jump into sports betting with Penn Entertainment
Recommendation
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
'The Boys' 'Gen V' has its first trailer—here's how to watch
Miami police begin pulling cars submerged from a Doral lake. Here's what they found so far.
'Justified: City Primeval': Cast, episode schedule, where to watch on TV, how to stream
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Kentucky’s Democratic governor releases public safety budget plan amid tough reelection campaign
U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for missing diver at Florida Keys shipwreck: This was a tragic accident
Jamie Lee Curtis' graphic novel shows how 'We're blowing it with Mother Nature'