Breanna Stewarthelped lead the U.S. women’s basketball team to gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Then, she had a life-changing flight to catch.
Stewart, 26, tells PEOPLE she placed her gold medal next to her daughter shortly after she was born.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Anna Burns for TOGETHXR
Stewart’s team won the 2020 WNBA championship, and she was named the MVP in the 2020 WNBA Finals and this year’s inaugural WNBACommissioner’s Cup— all of that just in the past two seasons.
Gregory Shamus/Getty
While it’s not easy to balance basketball stardom and new motherhood, it’s worth it, says Stewart.
Stewart’s wife Xargay Casademont, 30, is retired from her professional basketball career, which included playing for the WNBA Phoenix Mercury and her home country of Spain in the 2016 Olympics.
Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty
RELATED GALLERY: Who’s Due Next? Celebs Who Are Expecting
“My team is my family, too,” Stewart adds. “And I want to make sure I do everything I can to help them on and off the court.”
Stewart’s plan to start a family began when she ruptured her Achilles at 24, which forced her to take time off from basketball. She used that time to freeze her eggs, without yet knowing when she wanted to have children.
“If I’m gonna be out, this is probably the best time to do it,” she thought to herself. “And then after I did it, I was like, ‘This is probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.’ "
Starting a family required financial planning for Stewart and Xargay, too. They’ve partnered withAlly Financialto encourage couples to haveconversations about money.
“We have been honest, even before our family or being engaged, we were really open about [our finances] and that’s how it should be,” Xargay Casademont adds. “Not only with money, but being honest and open with everything.”
source: people.com
