MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart said her wife received a homophobic and threatening email after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, which Stewart described as part of an escalating series of messages to her and her partner.

Stewart, 30, confirmed on Tuesday that her wife, Marta Xargay Casademont, had reported the email to police and that the couple had taken the necessary measures to ensure their family's safety during this difficult time. Stewart said Marta's email address was available on her Instagram account, but it has since been removed.

“We brought it to the attention of the team and the league, and there were a few other things going on at the same time,” Stewart said Tuesday. “Given the fact that you're in the finals and so on, they said the most sensible thing to do was to file a report.”

Stewart did not go into details about the contents of the email, but said she wanted to use the opportunity to denounce this behavior by fans.

“I think the threats continued to increase after Game 1. We love that people are engaged in our sport, but not to the point where there are threats, harassment or homophobic comments,” Stewart said. “So we're just continuing to let the league know that they're taking care of this, but also that I'm continuing to use this platform to make sure that everyone knows that bringing it into our sport and really into the world is unacceptable. “”

The hateful comments come at a time of increasing negativity toward WNBA players online. Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington posted a similarly vicious email sent to her during the first round of the playoffs, and players across the league have struggled with racism and other threats all year long.

In her annual address before the start of the WNBA Finals, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert condemned the “disturbing” hate messages and said: “We stand united in condemning racism and all forms of hate.” The WNBA is one of the most inclusive and diverse professional sports leagues in the world , and we will continue to uphold these values.”

Casademont, 33, is a Spanish former professional basketball player who competed nationally for Spain and professionally in Europe as well as for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury. Stewart and Casademont were married in 2021 and have two children.

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(Photo by Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay Casademont: John David Mercer / USA Today)