Illustration: Margalit Cutler
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, or Stewie, as she’s affectionately called, is grateful to be home. Save for a few away games — and a quick stop in Berlin for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup inearlySeptember — Stewart and her team are essentially back at Barclays for the rest of the season, and the support of fans at home means a lot coming back from the road. Last week’s courtside guests, Hillary Clinton and Anna Wintour, didn’t hurt either. Stewart didn’t actually get a chance to say hi to Wintour, but she’d like to see her back. “I hope she had an incredible time,” she says. She’d also bring back Meek Mill if she could. “I’m a big fan,” she says. “I listen toChampionshipson my way into the arena before tip-off.”
Monday, August 3: I wake up whenever my kids wake me up, which is usually around 7 a.m. — 7:30, if I’m lucky. My typical routine is getting them fed, taking the dogs out, and having coffee. Then, my wife Marta and I like to sit and chill for a second before everyone starts their day
It’s a game day, so I arrive at the gym at 9 a.m. and go straight to the breakfast station. I get egg-white bites, sweet-potato hash browns, a fried egg, avocado, and tomatoes. I also have green grapes, which I specially asked them to stock. I don’t like red grapes, because I don’t like when grapes are squishy. Green grapes just have a better crunch
I finish eating and do my prep, which involves a stretching video, and then a leg-extension machine and lower-body exercises. At 10 a.m., the team has a morning shootaround for about an hour
Afterward, I head home to freshen up. I usually wash my hair on game day, and today’s no different
What is different is that Marta’s sister and brother-in-law and their two kids are in town from Spain, and it’s nice to have them here. My brother-in-law has also made paella, which I have as part of my pregame meal around 1 p.m. I’m a bit weird about what I eat before games, because I don’t want to be super full, so I usually only want to have rice. I also add chicken that Marta made in an air fryer that’s specifically for chicken. My grandma has one, and she got us one too
Afterward, I take a nap. It’s part of my game-day routine. Knowing that I’m going to be having a more strenuous night, I feel like my body needs it. An hour and a half later, I wake up and make coffee in a De’Longhi and pair it with yogurt with strawberries for a pregame snack. I get ready, and I’m out the door by 4 p.m. to get to Barclays
We’re playing the Seattle Storm, and I feel great. It’s really nice to be home — having the fans behind us is always super helpful. Plus, Hillary Clinton’s here tonight. Before my warm-up, I go out as fast as I can to go say hello to her. She’s small but mighty and a badass. Sometimes with politicians, you never know what kind of welcome they’re going to get at the game. Hers is incredible; she gets a loud standing ovation
We win, and the team heads over to Crown Club at Barclays, which is from the same restaurant group as Carbone. Marta, her sister, her brother-in-law, and the kids were at the game, so they join us at dinner too, along with a couple of our friends. I celebrate with the veal Parmesan
Tuesday, August 4No game today, and I have my morning and afternoon free. My friend is at Court Street Bagels, and he grabs me a bacon, egg, and cheese on a plain bagel with cream cheese. Off days are hard to come by, so when I have them, I like to chill
For lunch, we get pepperoni pizza from Upside Pizza. With the family visiting, the kids are also all hanging out together. Our daughter Ruby is turning 5 soon, and she’s kind of sassy. Our son Theo is 2, and he’s funny, but also gentle. Their cousins are 7 and 5, and when they’re all together, it’s chaos. But it’s great for them to spend some time together — it only happens when they come to New York or when we go to Spain. I want them to have moments together that aren’t just during the holidays, so I’m glad they have this time during summer vacation together.
Tonight, I’m going to the Ted Lasso premiere. I’m bringing Marta and my associate head coach from UConn, Chris Dailey, or C.D., as we call her. Jason Sudeikis is a good friend of mine, so it’s special to be able to support him. I’m also excited to see Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham, too — she came to a game the night before. At the premiere, we watch the first two episodes of the new season and snack on popcorn
Afterwards, we go to Lena Trattoria for dinner. You never know how these premieres will go, so we wanted to make sure we had plans for food. It’s also the day before the game, which is usually when I want pasta. It’s my first time here, and I get steak and spicy rigatoni
The food’s really good, and it’s even better to share a meal with Marta and C.D. in a more quiet setting. C.D. was busy with March Madness the last time I saw her, so this is our first time really catching up. Sometimes with basketball, it ends up being all you talk about, and you miss other moments. It’s really nice to talk to her about her life and things that are going on outside of sports
Wednesday, August 5Today’s a game day, and we’re playing the Seattle Storm again. I have my morning coffee and then head to the gym. I’m in more of a rush, so I get boiled eggs with salt and pepper and avocado and tomato from the breakfast station
The next couple of hours involve prep, watching game footage as a team, and a light workout. I stop by the gym’s lunch station afterward, which usually has soup and sandwiches. Today’s soup is potato and leek, and when I see it, I’m like, “Yes, incredible.” None of my other teammates like it; people will still eat it, but I know when they see the potato-and-leek soup, they’re like, “Ugh.” But I think they need to open their eyes
I come home, wash my hair, and have my pregame meal. Today, I do a fried-fish fillet with white rice and asparagus. I nap and then have coffee when I wake up. I get ready and head to Barclays. Things have been going well so far, so the team’s trying to keep it going
The theme for this week has been powerful women coming to our games. Anna Wintour is here tonight, which is sick. I met her at the Met Gala, but I also want to meet her in my element at my house, at the game. I end up having to do an interview, so I don’t get to say hi to her this time around
We win again tonight. Instead of going to Crown Club after the game, Marta and I want to chill at home, so we head back and order takeout from Dim Sum Palace. We get orange chicken, lo mein, and wontons. Usually, we’ll watch our shows, or if there’s a WNBA game on the West Coast starting a little later, we’ll watch that. But with family still in town, we hang out with them
Thursday, August 6 It’s my day off today, and in the morning, Marta and I have an appointment in Manhattan. We stop into Café Maud, a spot we randomly found. Our family and our nanny took the kids to the Bronx Zoo earlier, so the two of us have some peace for a moment together. I get the elote avocado toast and add bacon bits to it. It comes with lettuce on the side, which I’m a bit suspect about. I’m not sure if we can eat lettuce now or not? I also get a tall iced coffee with almond milk. It’s good, but I do wish it were a Bloody Mary. Once we finish our meal, we meet our family at the zoo.
It’s so hot out, and the humidity has been especially insane recently. We probably didn’t pick the best day to go to the zoo, but we were good sports about it. The kids love it, and we even go to the gorilla exhibit, which is a part of the zoo I haven’t seen before. Seeing the gorillas up close and personal is insane. The kids really like seeing the tigers, and the giraffes are a hit too. But eventually, the heat gets to us; Theo’s cheeks are red. When it’s time to leave, everybody is ready to go.
The kids head home, and the adults get food at the Time Out Marketin Dumbo. Sometimes when you go into the market, there are so many different things to try, and you don’t know which one to choose. But I’m happy with my choice: I get a brisket sandwich from Pastrami Factory, and it’s really good. I’m a big sandwich person. If I can have a great sandwich, I’m content
That evening, Marta and I want to stay in for a low-key and chill night, so we make dinner with what we have in the fridge. I like to cook, but I don’t like to be rushed, which means I don’t cook as much during the season. I do like getting on the grill to make basic burgers, hot dogs, and sometimes ribs, which need to cook on low for hours. The last time I was on the grill, like for real, was for a party we had on the Fourth of July. I’ve definitely done burgers and hot dogs since then, but sweating for hours in front of the grill? That’s for the Fourth of July.
Tonight, we keep it simple. I make miso-butter salmon with Trader Joe’s minced garlic, and Marta throws together a tomato, avocado, and cucumber salad. Post-zoo, we’re feeling the impacts of a long day, so we turn in early
Friday, August 7No game tonight, but it’s a practice and chill day. I get to the gym a little later today, at 10 a.m., and I get avocado toast, fried eggs, egg-white bites, and mixed berries
It’s a pro day, which means that you get what you need workout-wise. Then, I’m on the court with a few teammates for a couple of hours. We wrap up, and sometime after two, I have lunch at the gym. It’s really good today: shrimp, grits, andouille sausage, and carrots, with a biscuit
I go home after that, and my massage lady comes over. I’ve been working with her for almost two years, and I usually get whatever type of massage she’s feeling. Since it’s two days before a game, she does a deeper tissue massage
Marta and I wait for the kids to go down, and once they do, the adults go out to dinner. Marta and I take her sister and her husband to Little Ways. I want a burger, so I get their cheeseburger with a refreshing white wine. We also get mussels to share, which are amazing
Overall, it’s a really good vibe. I don’t have a game tomorrow, so I’m not thinking about how early I have to be up or logging a game plan. It feels really special to just enjoy each other’s company, and we stay out late
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