Breanna Stewart talks first signature Puma shoe, Team USA and Australian connections
USA superstar Breanna Stewart is hoping her first signature shoe with Puma will help kickstart a revolution in women's hoops.
Team USA superstar Breanna Stewart —arguably the best player in the world— has achieved just about everything there is to do in the game of basketball. She’s won championships and individual accolades in high school, college, the WNBA, Europe, won two Olympic gold medals, and was crowned 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup MVP as Team USA ran away with the gold medal.
She’s simply dominated at every level.
Her latest feat, a signature basketball shoe with Puma, the ‘Stewie 1’, is a historic moment in women’s basketball, but as Stewart told The Pick and Roll at the Pitt St Foot Locker launch event recently, it’s also ‘bittersweet’ because of how few females have done the same before her.
Breanna Stewart at Pitt St Mall Foot Locker, where her Puma Stewie 1 was launched in Australia.
“It’s definitely a bittersweet moment,” Stewart said. “To be able to be one of the 10 to have a signature shoe is a huge, incredible honour but also, I feel like spotlighting the fact that why is there only 10 [females ever to have a signature shoe]? I’m hoping that a lot more are going to come from this, because as this is an incredible moment for women’s basketball, me, and Puma, I hope that many other people get to experience it too.”
The Puma Stewie 1 ‘Quiet Fire’ is the first female signature basketball shoe in over a decade and the importance of being a key figure and role model to young girls all around the world is extremely important to Stewart and something that she takes very seriously.
“I want to be my best on and off the court and doing whatever I can to help push the needle forward and using my platform,” she said. “I think that we’re getting to a point in time where it’s kind of like, if you don’t use your platform it can be seen as being selfish for not trying to help.”
That importance has risen to new levels since Stewart, and wife Marta Xargay, welcomed daughter Ruby into the world last year, not long after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Becoming a Mum has given Stewart even more motivation to champion for equality and ensuring that her daughter can be whatever she wants to be in life.
“I want to be my best for Ruby but also I want to make sure that if she wants to play basketball or do whatever she wants to do, she’ll have equal opportunity to do that and have the opportunity to do whatever she wants.”
Stewart, with daughter Ruby, at Pitt St Mall Foot Locker.
As Puma and Foot Locker took over Pitt St in Sydney, Stewart’s in-store appearance was an event that showed just how far women’s basketball has come, with fans lining up for hours to get a chance to meet Stewart and also hear her speak on life and basketball.
Team USA takes on Canada in the semi-final tonight, after taking care of business against a physical Serbian team yesterday. The USA squad has undergone a transformation since recent major tournaments, with mainstays like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Sylvia Fowles no longer on the team.
For Stewart, who has come up the Team USA ranks playing with those legends to now being a leader of the team herself, is enjoying seeing the likes of Kahleah Copper, Shakira Austin and Sabrina Ionescu compete at their first FIBA Women’s World Cup for Team USA.
“I think the transition was going to happen at some point and the fact that it’s happening now, it’s just giving a lot of new players opportunities to etch their name in USA basketball and really what we’re trying to do just in terms of winning a gold medal,” she said. “It’s exciting – it’s exciting for new players to experience new things; their first World Cup or being here in Australia. I hope they’re really enjoying it and at the same time we know that we’re trying to go after a gold medal.”
Team USA’s toughest game of the tournament so far was a clash against China in the group phase. With about 9,500 fans in the arena and the majority of the crowd cheering for China, it was a valuable experience to ultimately grind out a win, 77-63.
“It was great to go through that game against China, and I think what was the most important thing was the fact that we won, but also having to play in a game where no one was really cheering for us,” she said. “Especially if we end up meeting Australia some time down the line, I’m sure it’s going to be that times 10, but it was a lot of fun.”
Despite all of Stewart’s achievements, her career hasn’t been smooth sailing all the way. When she ruptured her Achilles in 2019 while playing in Europe, it was a moment that could have derailed her career, as it has done to so many athletes around the world.
After a gruelling rehab process, Stewart returned to the court for the 2020 WNBA season and the basketball world quickly realised - not only had Stewart not lost a step, she’d returned even better and led the Seattle Storm to the 2020 WNBA championship.
“Rupturing my Achilles definitely sucked, but you don’t understand why things happen and injuries are a part of the game,’ she said. “I had a great circle around me to get through that moment to help me realise that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, that I was going to be able to get through it, be back playing the sport I love and back playing better.”
There were a couple of Australians on that Seattle championship squad, both of whom are playing for the Opals at the World Cup; Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb. While Whitcomb is now playing for New York, Steph Talbot joined the Storm in 2021 and Stewart talked about how much she enjoys playing with Australians.
“Between Steph, Ezi and the Australians that I’ve played with, they know how to play basketball the right way, so when you play with teammates like that it makes it a lot of fun.” She said.
Stewart has been teammates with Magbegor since the Australian entered the WNBA in 2020 and while everyone has an opinion on the potential of Magbegor, Stewart has seen her development up close.
“Ezi has a tremendous future and I think the thing that obviously translates the quickest is her defence, but as she gets more confident in what she does offensively, she’s going to be hard to stop.”
Having Magbegor behind her on defence, protecting the bucket on the last line of defence is a luxury that Stewart appreciates.
“Just knowing that you have someone with length, size and athleticism behind you to kind of clean up any mistakes that we make is great. I definitely prefer playing with her than against her, but we’ll see what happens.”
Another Australian with Seattle ties is none other than Lauren Jackson. Although Stewart and Jackson’s time in Seattle didn’t overlap, she understands the legend of Jackson in Seattle and around the world.
“I think the fact that Lauren is back playing for the Australian national team at the World Cup is incredible,” she said. “She’s doing something that really no one else has done before and I hope that everyone is taking the opportunity to go and watch her play.”
Let’s hope so.🤞Such a brilliant player, glorious to watch.