Impact Award Recipient: Breanna Stewart

Breanna Stewart is a winner. Capturing three championships in the span of one year, “Stewie” won titles in the WNBA, EuroLeague and an Olympic gold before earning her best title yet – Mom…

Arguably the greatest college basketball player of all time, Stewie is a 4-time NCAA Champion and 4-time Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament – the first athlete of any gender to accomplish that feat. Transcendent and versatile, in 2016 Stewie was taken No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm, was the youngest member of the USA Olympic gold medal winning squad in Rio, and the WNBA unanimous Rookie of the Year. Continuing her dominance in 2018, Stewie swept WNBA Regular Season MVP, WNBA Finals MVP and USA Basketball FIBA World Cup MVP in just 35 days. All told, she is a 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, 2-time WNBA Champion and 4-time WNBA All-Star.

A natural on social media, Stewie is a universally liked star, known for her humble, yet determined spirit and matter-of-fact honest personality. Just as impressive off the court, Stewie fought adversity and successfully rehabbed from a season-ending achilles injury in 2019. During that time, she decided to freeze her eggs and fell in love with her now wife Marta, which ultimately led to their inspirational journey of becoming moms to Ruby through gestational surrogacy. Destigmatizing fertility conversations for sport and women in the workplace, Stewie shattered the notion that a woman cannot be the best player in the world and have a baby. As she asserts, “Why can’t I do both?” Defying expectations and convention, count on Stewie to continually set records and milestones both in basketball and life.

Since the moment Breanna Stewart turned pro, she has embraced the opportunity to advocate for causes bigger than herself. When she won the 2016 ESPY for Best Female Athlete, she gave a speech calling out the media for its lack of coverage of women’s sports. That same year, she joined her colleagues across the league in standing up for Black Lives Matter. In 2017, she stood up for the LGBTQ community and proudly championed the inclusive culture of the WNBA, and in October 2018 she came forward as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse with a moving first-person essay with The Players Tribune, going on to launch a national campaign to help other victims and their families.

In 2021, Stewie signed with PUMA in a groundbreaking deal that made her the highest paid footwear and apparel endorser in the WNBA; her signature shoe, the Stewie 1, was released in 2022.

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