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Breanna Mackenzie Stewart (born Baldwin; born August 27, 1994) is an American professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for the
Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
of the
Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Nati ...
(WNBA). 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 The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...
(UConn)
Huskies Husky is a general term for a dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies that ma ...
to four 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. Stewart was the first overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft and was named the 2016
WNBA Rookie of the Year The Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel ...
. She was named the
WNBA MVP The Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season -- 1997. MVP voting takes place immediately following the regular s ...
in 2018 and was named an All-Star in 2017, 2018 and 2021. She led the Storm to two championships in 2018 and 2020, and received the
WNBA Finals MVP The Women's National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season. During the first four years of the league, the Houston Come ...
award both times. In 2021, Stewart was named to The W25 as one of the top 25 players of the WNBA's first 25 years. As a member of the U.S. women's national team, Stewart has won gold medals in the 2016 and 2020
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
and at the
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and 2018 FIBA World Cup.


Early years

Stewart was born Breanna Mackenzie Baldwin in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, and Rochester. At the 2020 census, the city' ...
to a single mother, Heather Baldwin. Her biological father was not involved in her life, and her mother worked multiple jobs in order to support herself and her daughter. When Breanna was a toddler, her mother began dating Brian Stewart; they eventually married, and several years later he adopted Breanna. She has a younger half-brother, Connor. Breanna began playing basketball at an early age; in fifth grade, she decided to improve her game. Now six feet four inches tall, she had always been tall for her age, which often meant coaches wanted her inside as a rebounder. However, her father thought it would help if she had ball handling skills and a perimeter shooting ability. Stewart started a routine of dribbling around her block, wearing headphones. She completed enough loops to cover a mile. She continued the routine almost every day, improving her ball handling to the point she routinely dribbled behind her back or between her legs. Even after heading off to college, she still did the routine at home. In a 2017 essay in '' The Players' Tribune'', Stewart publicly revealed that she had been a victim of sexual abuse from age 9 to 11. She reported the abuse to her parents, who immediately called police. The perpetrator, who was married to her mother's sister, confessed to the abuse and ultimately served prison time.


High school career

Stewart attended Cicero-North Syracuse High School (C-NS) in Cicero, New York, where she played for head coach Eric Smith. She was nicknamed "Bean" by her teammates, and "6–10" because of her wingspan. Stewart first played for the high school team while still in eighth grade. She played as a starter in most games, and averaged nine points, almost nine rebounds and seven blocks per game. In her freshman year, she almost doubled her point production, scoring 17 points per game. That year, her team had a 21–3 record, and made it to the regional final game. In her sophomore year, she was a starter in every game, and upped her scoring average to 22 points per game. In that year, her team's record was 18–4. As a junior, she helped lead her team to the state AA public school title, with a 22–3 record for the year. Stewart averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds for the season. During her junior year, she announced that she would be attending the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...
. The day after the announcement, she dunked the ball in a game against Baldwinsville, her first career dunk. Stewart achieved a milestone on January 31, 2012, when she scored her 2,000th point, as part of a 31–0 run against Auburn. Stewart was selected as a member of the 2012 McDonald's All-American team, which represented the 24 best female high school basketball players. The selected players were grouped into two squads that competed in the annual
McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...
, held that year in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
. Stewart was selected to the 2012
Women's Basketball Coaches Association The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels. The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches. The mission of the WBCA ...
(WBCA) High School Coaches' All-America Team. The top 20 high school players in the country were named as WBCA All-Americans and were eligible to play in the all-star game. She participated in the 2012 WBCA High School All-America Game, scoring 10 points. Stewart was named the 2012 Naismith High School Girls' Player of the Year, the honor awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the best female high school basketball player in the country. In March 2012, in a surprise presentation by
Tamika Catchings Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Catchings has won a WNBA champi ...
, Stewart received the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award. Stewart was one of six finalists for the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year.


High school tournaments

In addition to regularly scheduled post-season tournaments, the success of her high school team led to invitations to prominent national tournaments. In 2010, the C-NS team traveled to
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
, New Jersey and Disney World; in 2011, the team went to the Nike Tournament of Champions in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, considered the "premier showcase of all high school girls tournaments"; and in 2012, the Northstars played in a Basketball Hall of Fame Tournament in
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, th ...
.


Tournament of Champions

The Tournament of Champions is an annual event, since 1997, showcasing the best high school girls basketball teams. The 2011 event, held in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, included 96 of the best basketball programs in the country. The C-NS team was assigned to the Smith Division, where they faced Bolingbrook High School, considered to be the number 1 team by USA Today. Despite being viewed as a 30-point underdog, Stewart helped her team to the first round upset, scoring 15 points in a 43–40 win. In the quarter-final game, Stewart scored 29 points and had 19 rebounds to help the team beat the number 22 ranked team in the country,
Dr. Phillips High School Dr. Phillips High School is a public high school in Dr. Phillips, Florida, United States, near Orlando. It serves the Dr. Phillips census-designated place (CDP), the Bay Hill CDP, and the residential portion of Lake Buena Vista. History Dr ...
from
Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
. Although double-teamed, she scored ten points in a 12–0 run that gave C-NS a commanding 23-point lead early in the fourth quarter. That win secured a place in the semi-finals of the division. In the semi-final game, C-NS faced St. Mary's, the number 2 ranked team in the country. Stewart had 33 points and 16 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome the scoring of the eventual champion of the tournament. Although the team lost that game, Stewart's overall performance earned her the most outstanding player of the tournament honors. Stewart was viewed as an offensive threat in the low post, high post and perimeter, and was effective as a defender because of her long wingspan.


2012 Hoophall Classic

Stewart's Northstars team were invited to play in the annual Hoophall Classic; the event was held in Springfield, Massachusetts, and typically featured some of the best high school teams in the country. Their opponents were the local West Springfield team, not nationally ranked, but 8–0 at the time of the meeting. The result was not close, as C-NS beat West Springfield 60–20, with Stewart alone scoring more points than the opposition. Stewart ended the game with 22 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocks, despite leaving the game in the third period and not returning. Her performance earned her the Most Outstanding Player award for the event.


USA Basketball


U16

Stewart was selected to join the
USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olymp ...
U16 team, at age 14, the youngest member of the team; all other team members were 15 or 16. Initially, her parents turned down the invitation to join the team, worried about the amount of time she would be missing school. However, Mike Flynn, director of a prominent
Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...
team, persuaded her parents that the invitation was an honor, so they relented. At the time, she stood six feet, three inches, the same height as
Kiah Stokes Kiah Irene Stokes (born March 30, 1993) is an American-Turkish basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League (KBSL). She was chosen by the New York Lib ...
and Elizabeth Williams. Despite being the youngest, she earned the starting role for all five games, scoring just under ten points per games, tying Elizabeth Williams for the team lead in blocks. Stewart helped the team win the gold medal in the First FIBA Americas U16 Championship for Women, held in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. The win secured an automatic bid to the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship, held in Rodez and Toulouse, France.


U17

Stewart continued with the USA team as it became the U17 team. The USA team won all eight games and the gold medal in the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women. Stewart earned a starting role in all eight games. In the first game, against the host team from France, she led all scorers with 13 points. In the final preliminary game against Japan, she led all scorers with 30 points. In the tournament, she averaged 12.8 points per game, second only to Elizabeth Williams at 13.5 points per game. Stewart was the team leader with 18 blocks.


U19

In 2011, Stewart was selected to be on the USA Basketball U19 team. The U18 team won the 2010 Americas Championship, thus earning an automatic bid to the U19 World Championship, held in Puerto Montt, Chile. The USA won their first five games, but then came up short, losing to Canada 64–52. They were still qualified for the medal round, and played against France in the quarter-final; the USA was down by 13 points early in the game, but took a lead with just over a minute to go in the game and won 70–64. The USA took an early lead in the semi-final against Brazil, and qualified for the gold medal game. The final was against Spain, which the USA won 69–46. Although she was one of the youngest players on the team, Stewart averaged 11.2 points per game to post the highest scoring average of the USA players. She was one of the five players named to the all tournament team; Ariel Massengale was the other USA player to earn all tournament honors.


2011 Pan American Games

She competed for the United States at the
2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...
. 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. The 2011 team finished seventh, the first time in history they did not earn a medal, but Stewart, almost three years younger than the next youngest player, was still a major contributor, scoring 15.4 points per game to lead the team in scoring. She also led the team in blocks and rebounds.


USA Basketball athlete of the year

Stewart was named the 2011 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year. USA Basketball cited her performance on the U19 team and the Pan American team. She was the second youngest on the U19 team, yet led the team in points, rebounds and blocks, helping to lead her team to a gold medal at the international competition, and earning a position on the all-tournament team. She occupies several spots in the U19 record books. She was named to the Pan American team, only the second high school player from the US to receive such a bid. Despite playing with college age players, she earned a starting position for all games, and again led the team in points, rebounds and blocks. The previous year's winner of the award was
Diana Taurasi Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has ...
.


U18

Stewart was named to the USA Basketball U-18 team. She joined future UConn teammates Moriah Jefferson and
Morgan Tuck Morgan Tuck (born April 30, 1994) is an American former professional basketball player. She played her first four WNBA seasons with the Connecticut Sun. She won 4 consecutive NCAA championships with the University of Connecticut. She completed he ...
on the 12-player squad that competed in the 2012 FIBA Americas U-18 National Championship, held in August 2012, in Puerto Rico. Stewart was the youngest, and only high school player, on the 2011 USA Women's Pan American Games team, but was the player with the most international experience on the team. The team started by winning their first four games with margins of victory of 40 points or more. This set up the championship game against Brazil. The team from Brazil started strong, and held a double-digit lead early in the game. After scoring only seven points in the first quarter, the team scored 21 or more in the next three quarters and reclaimed the lead. The USA won 71–47 to claim the gold medal. Stewart was awarded the MVP trophy as the best player in the FIBA Americas U18 competition.


2013 U19 – Lithuania

Stewart, along with teammates
Moriah Jefferson Moriah Jefferson (born March 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted second overall by the San Antonio Stars in the 2016 WNBA draft. ...
and
Morgan Tuck Morgan Tuck (born April 30, 1994) is an American former professional basketball player. She played her first four WNBA seasons with the Connecticut Sun. She won 4 consecutive NCAA championships with the University of Connecticut. She completed he ...
, were three of the twelve players selected to be on the team representing the US at the U19 World Championship for Women held in Klaipėda and Panevėžys,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, in July 2013. Stewart was named the USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year for the second time. Only five other players have won this award more than once,
Teresa Edwards Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964) is an American former women's basketball player and four time Olympic gold medalist. In 2000, ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine placed her as 22nd of the "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the 20th Century". She ...
,
Lisa Leslie Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on ...
, Cheryl Miller,
Dawn Staley Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970) is an American basketball Hall of Fame player and coach, who is currently the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Staley won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player and later was head c ...
and
Diana Taurasi Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has ...
, and none have accomplished this at so young an age. Stewart helped the US to a 9–0 record in the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship, leading to a gold medal for the team and MVP honors for Stewart.


Senior national team

Stewart was one of 33 finalists for the U.S. Women's FIBA World Championship for Women Roster. She was the only collegiate player out of 32 WNBA women's basketball players to be selected by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster to represent the US at the FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey during September and October 2014. Stewart made the final roster of 12 players, announced on September 23, 2014. Stewart won the gold medal with the team in 2014. Stewart was a member of the USA Women's Pan American Team which participated in
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
at the 2015 Pan American Games held in
Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, 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. USA Basketball named Stewart to the squad that played at the
2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...
in Rio de Janeiro. She won a gold medal with Team USA in 2016, in doing so joining Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Ruth Riley, Tamika Catchings and fellow UConn alums Kara Wolters, Swin Cash, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Maya Moore on the elite list of female basketball players to have won NCAA titles, WNBA Championships and Olympic gold medals. She again won gold at the
2021 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
in Tokyo where she averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game and was named the Olympic Tournament's Most Valueble Player and to the FIBA's all-star five team.


Collegiate career

Stewart was recruited by many schools, but after a campus visit to UConn in 2011, she told the coaching staff, "I would like to commit if you'd take me." Committing requires a formal letter of intent. Some players sign at a media event organized to cover the ceremony; Stewart signed her letter on the hood of her car, then gave it to her father at his office to fax to the school.


Freshman year

Stewart started her freshman year in strong form, scoring at least 20 points in three of her first four games. She scored a total of 169 points in her first ten games, which broke
Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx, who is currently on sabbatical. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the greatest ...
record for most points in a player's first 10 career games. However, her output slowed, and her scoring average dropped below ten points for her last eighteen regular season games. In March, she started early morning session with Chris Daily, associate head coach, to concentrate on shooting and post moves. She came back strong in the Big East tournament, with a total of 51 points, matching the number scored by
Diana Taurasi Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has ...
in her tournament debut. Her strong performance continued in the NCAA tournament. She did not play in the first round, due to a calf injury, but scored 105 points in the last five games, earning her the award of the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, the first freshman to win the award since 1987.


Sophomore year

Stewart continued her stellar play in her
sophomore year In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...
; her coaches noticed that she was demanding the ball more often, something she occasionally did as a freshman, but usually only if she thought she was playing well. By the end of her sophomore year, she was named the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
Player of the Year in the league's first season after the split of the original Big East Conference, an honor she would go on to win the following two seasons. Additionally, she was named AP Player of the Year, only the third time in history a sophomore had claimed the honor. The other two sophomore recipients were fellow husky
Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx, who is currently on sabbatical. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the greatest ...
and Oklahoma's
Courtney Paris Courtney Paris (born September 21, 1987) is an American basketball coach and former player. She is currently an assistant coach for the Dallas Wings of the WNBA. She last played as a center for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketba ...
. Stewart started and played in all 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 contest, 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 annals. Her 324 boards marked the 12th-highest single-season total in school history, and her 110 rejections 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, along with Tina Charles,
Rebecca Lobo Rebecca Rose Lobo-Rushin (born October 6, 1973) is an American television basketball analyst and former women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 to 2003. Lobo, at 6'4", played the center position ...
,
Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx, who is currently on sabbatical. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the greatest ...
,
Stefanie Dolson Stefanie Dolson (born January 8, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted sixth overall in the 2014 WNBA draft. Dolson played center for the ...
and
Jamelle Elliott Jamelle Renee Elliott (born May 18, 1974) is an American women's basketball coach, formerly at the University of Cincinnati women's basketball team. Early life and high school Elliott was introduced to basketball by her cousin Adrien Elliott, wh ...
, 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).


Professional career


WNBA

Stewart was drafted first overall in the 2016 WNBA draft by the
Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
. She would play alongside superstar veteran point guard
Sue Bird Suzanne Brigit Bird (born October 16, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played her entire career with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association ( WNBA) Bird was drafted by the Storm first over ...
. Stewart immediately made an impact in the league as she scored 23 points in her debut game against the
Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was fou ...
. As the season progressed, Stewart continued to dominate offensively as she scored a career-high 38 points in a win against the
Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real ...
, which is the second most points scored in a game in franchise history, behind
Lauren Jackson Lauren Elizabeth Jackson (born 11 May 1981) is an Australian professional basketball player. The daughter of two national basketball team players, Jackson was awarded a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 1997, when she ...
'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 The Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel o ...
by a landslide. Stewart also broke the WNBA record for most defensive rebounds in a season with 277 defensive rebounds (surpassing
Lisa Leslie Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on ...
'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 Elena Delle Donne (born September 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Delle Donne played college basketball for the Delaware Blue Hens from 200 ...
,
Katie Ledecky Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky (born March 17, 1997) is an American competitive swimmer. She has won seven Olympics, Olympic gold medals and 19 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. Ledecky's six individual gold ...
, 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 The 2017 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 22, 2017. The Seattle Storm hosted a WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. Starters for this year's All-Star game were selected by a combination of fan, media, and pl ...
, 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 The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before the ...
. 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 The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season ...
. In 2018, Stewart would elevate her play to a superstar level. She was voted into the
2018 WNBA All-Star Game The 2018 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 28, 2018. The Minnesota Lynx hosted the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. Rosters Selection On June 5, the WNBA announced that 2018 would have a new roster select ...
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 The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was ...
, 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 Torn may refer to: Film and television * ''Torn'' (2009 film), an American film by Richard Johnson * ''Torn'' (2013 American film), directed Jeremiah Birnbaum * ''Torn'' (2013 Nigerian film), directed by Moses Inwang * ''Torn'' (TV series), a ...
Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pe ...
. 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 ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...
'' 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.


Overseas

During her rookie season, Stewart signed with Shanghai Baoshan Dahua of the WCBA for the 2016–17 Chinese season. In 2017, Stewart re-signed with Shanghai Baoshan Dahua for the 2017–18 WCBA season. In June 2018, Stewart signed with Dynamo Kursk of the Russian Premier League and was later named MVP of the EuroLeague Women regular season. In February 2020, Stewart signed with
UMMC Ekaterinburg BC Ekaterinburg (russian: БК «УГМК») is a Russian women's basketball team based in Yekaterinburg competing in the Russian Premier League, and until February 2022 in FIBA Europe's EuroLeague Women. In reaction to the 2022 Russian inv ...
for the remainder of the 2019–20 European season. In November 2020, Stewart re-signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2020–21 European season. She signed with Fenerbahçe Safiport on 1st of July, 2022 for EuroLeague Women season.


Career statistics


WNBA


Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016 , style="text-align:left;",
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 34 , , 34 , , 34.7, , .457 , , .338 , , .833 , , 9.3 , , 3.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , 2.3, , 18.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017 , style="text-align:left;",
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 33 , , 33 , , 32.9 , , .475 , , .371 , , .787 , , 8.7 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.6 , , 2.4 , , 19.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 34 , , 34 , , 31.6 , , .529 , , .415 , , .820 , , 8.4 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , 1.4 , , 1.8 , , 21.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2020 , style="text-align:left;",
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 20 , , 20 , , 30.4 , , .451 , , .368 , , .894 , , 8.3 , , 3.6 , , 1.7 , , 1.3 , , 2.5 , , 19.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021 , style="text-align:left;",
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 28 , , 28 , , 33.4 , , .439 , , .336 , , .847 , , 9.6 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , 1.7 , , 1.6 , , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 5 years, 1 team , 149 , , 149 , , 32.8 , , .473 , , .366 , , .829 , , 8.9 , , 2.9 , , 1.3 , , 1.6 , , 2.1 , , 20.0


Postseason

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016 , style="text-align:left;",
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 1 , , 1 , , 37.7 , , .600 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , 7.0 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017 , style="text-align:left;",
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 1 , , 1 , , 36.2 , , .353 , , .500 , , .818 , , 8.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 3.0 , , 23.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 8 , , 8 , , 37.1 , , .466 , , .416 , , .823 , , 6.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 2.3 , , 24.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2020 , style="text-align:left;",
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 6 , , 6 , , 32.5 , , .538 , , .500 , , .852 , , 7.8 , , 4.0 , , 1.7 , , 1.7 , , 1.2 , , 25.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 4 years, 1 team , 16 , , 16 , , 35.4 , , .491 , , .461 , , .842 , , 7.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , 24.6


College

Source


Awards and honors


International

* 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)


WNBA

* The W25 (top 25 players in league history) (2021) * ''Sports Illustrated'' Sportsperson of the Year (2020) * Commissioner's Cup MVP (2021) * Commissioner's Cup Champion (2021) *2x WNBA Finals MVP (2018, 2020) *2x WNBA Champion (2018, 2020) *WNBA MVP (2018) *WNBA All-Star (2017, 2018) *All-WNBA First Team (2018, 2020, 2021) *All-WNBA Second Team (2016) *WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016) *WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2016) *ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete and Best Female College Player (2016)


Overseas

* EuroLeague Women Regular Season MVP (2019) *EuroLeague Women Champion (2021) *EuroLeague Women Final Four MVP (2021)


College

*4x
NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player At the conclusion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, men's and NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, women's Division I (NCAA), Division I basketball championships (the "F ...
(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) *3× Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year (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) *2x
Wade Trophy The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best upperclass women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coa ...
(2015, 2016) *2x John R. Wooden Award (2015, 2016) *
Senior CLASS Award The Senior CLASS Award is awarded to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in 10 NCAA Division I sports. An acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School," the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete ...
(2016) * 3x Honda Sports Award, basketball (2014,2015,2016) *
Honda-Broderick Cup The Honda-Broderick Cup is a sports award for college-level female athletes. The awards are voted on by a national panel of more than 1000 collegiate athletic directors. It was first presented by Tom Broderick, an American owner of a women's sports ...
and named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year (2016) * James E. Sullivan Award, basketball (2015) *
Ann Meyers Drysdale Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...
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) *Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year (2011) *USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (2011) *ESPN Rise All-America second team (2010) *Parade All-America fourth team (2010)


Personal life

Stewart is married to former WNBA and current EuroLeague Spanish professional basketball player Marta Xargay, three times
Eurobasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the ...
champion and silver medalist in both the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
and World Cup with the Spain national basketball team. The couple started dating while teammates at Dynamo Kursk. Stewart proposed in May 2021 and they were married on July 6, 2021 on the rooftop of Stewart's apartment building. On August 9, 2021, within 48 hours of Stewart earning an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, their daughter Ruby Mae Stewart-Xargay was born via surrogacy. In 2016, Stewart signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Nike until 2021. In 2021, she signed multi-year endorsement with Puma. In September 2022 she released the first female signature shoes for the first time in over a decade, called Stewie 1 Quiet Fire.


References


Further reading

* ''Current Biography Yearbook 2017. '', 2017. Print.
Altavilla, John. "Breanna Stewart: Tall On Talent, Short On Ego." ''Courant.com'', Hartford Courant, November 14, 2014


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Breanna 1994 births Living people 21st-century LGBT people All-American college women's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Russia American women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Syracuse, New York Centers (basketball) LGBT basketball players LGBT people from New York (state) Lesbian sportswomen McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Pan American Games medalists in basketball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Seattle Storm draft picks Seattle Storm players Shanghai Swordfish players UConn Huskies women's basketball players United States women's national basketball team players Women's National Basketball Association first-overall draft picks Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars Fenerbahçe women's basketball players