New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart and her wife receive homophobic threats during the WNBA Finals

Police are investigating a threatening, homophobic email sent to WNBA power forward Breanna Stewart's wife as the New York Liberty play in the finals.

Police did not identify the person who made the report. They said a 33-year-old woman filed a complaint of aggravated harassment on Thursday after receiving “a threatening email.” Stewart confirmed the threats and said her wife made the report in an interview after practice on Tuesday.

The email said the couple “does not deserve to live and I hope you both die.”

Stewart, 30, who plays for the New York Liberty, is married to former WNBA player Marta Xargay Casademont, 33, a member of the Spanish national team. They married in July 2021 and have two children together.

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the case as a possible sexual orientation discrimination incident. The New York Post was the first to report the threat.

“She had to realize that it was about Marta’s email. The level of closeness was a little different,” she told reporters, according to the Associated Press. “Make sure me and Marta are safe, but that our children are safest.”

Stewart said she reported the threat to the team and the league and that Xargay filed a police report. “When you're in the finals and so on, it makes sense to submit something formal,” she said.

The threat came after the Liberty lost Game 1 of the WNBA Finals to the Minnesota Lynx. With less than a second left in regulation, Stewart missed a free throw that would have given the Liberty the lead and she missed a layup that would have tied the game at the end of overtime.

Stewart told ESPN that the threatening email came after the Game 1 loss.

“Sometimes people go a little too far and take things too far out of context. And Marta had received homophobic death threats. A few other things happened,” said Stewart, a two-time MVP. She said they reported the matter to ensure “we are doing as much as possible to ensure our team and the league remain informed of the situation and continue to ensure everyone's safety.”

The Liberty and WNBA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert also spoke about the increasing amount of hate speech players received on social media in their pre-Game 1 speech.

She said the league will meet with the players' association, players and teams to discuss the matter Using technology, prioritizing mental health and strengthening safety.

“First of all, there is no place for this in sport,” said Engelbert. “It's just something that we have to continue to be a voice for, a voice against, condemn it and make sure that we find every opportunity to support our players who have been dealing with this for much longer than this year.” “

The Liberty and the Lynx will face each other again in game three on Wednesday evening.