Breanna Stewart Shares Empowering Message About Being a Multifaceted Woman

The WNBA legend cofounded a new, history-making pro women’s basketball league called Unrivaled.

Breanna Stewart / Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart’s interests, passions and talents extend beyond the court. The 29-year-old athlete, who just led Team USA to their eighth straight Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris games, recently chatted with legal services company LegalZoom about her entrepreneurial and personal endeavors outside of her sport.

The New York native, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft (after leading the University of Connecticut to four consecutive NCAA championships) landed with the Seattle Storm, and transferred to the Liberty in 2023. The mom of two is also the cofounder of Unrivaled, a new pro 3-on-3 women’s basketball league that will begin competing in January 2025.

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“Starting a business was important for me. I hope this business goes many years beyond when I’m playing. It’s an opportunity for others to see you can have your job and also be an amazing entrepreneur. You can do both. Just to be a basketball player or just to be an athlete or just to be a working person, people’s passions go way beyond that,” the 2022 SI Swimsuit model told LegalZoom. “You want to be able to do other things. You want to be able to be in your community. You want to be able to be with your kids or coach your kids. I don’t want to coach my kids, but [some] people want to do that, and just have multiple passions. People have a lot of different interests. [It‘s like] ‘How many things can I be great at?’”

Stewart and her cofounder, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, closed Unrivaled on a seed round, securing funding from fellow athletes like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, celebrity investors including Ashton Kutcher, and founding partner Ally Financial. Players will receive equity and more than $100,000 each to compete in the Miami-based league, making history by having the highest average salary in women’s pro sports.

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Learn more at unrivaled.basketball.