Breanna Stewart explains motivation for protest sign (0:56)Breanna Stewart lays out why she held up an “Abolish ICE” sign during Unrivaled player introductions on Sunday. (0:56)
Alexa PhilippouJan 25, 2026, 03:50 PM ETCloseCovers women’s college basketball and the WNBA Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati EnquirerFollow on X
Unrivaled co-founder and two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart held up an “Abolish ICE” sign during player introductions at Unrivaled on Sunday, one day after federal immigration officers killed a second person in Minneapolis this month.
“Really all day yesterday, I was just disgusted from everything that you see on Instagram and in the news,” Stewart said on her decision to make a statement, adding that “everyone here [at Unrivaled] is feeling that way, one way or another.
“We’re so fueled by hate right now instead of love, so I wanted to have a simple message of ‘Abolish ICE,’ which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence.”
Several other WNBA players — including fellow Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier, who plays for the Minnesota Lynx — have posted support for the thousands of protestors in Minneapolis pushing to dispel federal immigration agents from the city.
“Sending all my love and prayers to Minnesota,” Natisha Hiedeman, a guard with the Lynx for the past two seasons, wrote in an Instagram story. “Minnesota is such a beautiful place with an amazing community who has embraced me fully and I’m heartbroken to see ICE has flipped the city upside down and resorted to violence. There is no place for this.”
A moment of silence was held before tipoff of Saturday’s Unrivaled games, “to take a moment to reflect on the recent tragic events in Minnesota,” the public address announcer said. “Our thoughts and support are with everyone affected, and we send our deepest sympathies to those who have lost a loved one.” Unrivaled also put out a statement later Sunday, saying in part: “In this moment of grief, we choose compassion and unity.”
WNBA players have long embraced activism, including in 2020, when they dedicated their “bubble” season to social justice reform and helped bring attention to the senatorial campaign of Raphael Warnock.
“I think doing whatever you can to help your community [is important],” Stewart said. “Obviously, Minnesota is the place that everyone’s seeing is in crisis, but it’s happening in many more cities than just one, and knowing the right people to reach out to — your local council person, your mayor, your governor — and really advocating to change the policies and advocating for reform, knowing that it’s not going to happen overnight.
“But how many times do we have to see it happen over and over and over again and using our platform to make sure that we’re trying to make a change and a difference and hopefully save a life.”
Stewart said that even amid tensions as the players and league negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, “our respective teams [are] supporting us and behind us.”
“While we don’t agree on all things, we know that they’re supporting our platform that we have, and we continue to fight in all the ways we can until we do come to a final agreement,” Stewart said.
“It’s scary. You see it on social media, you see it splitting up families and dissecting communities and kids are being involved. It’s the worst in all ways,” Stewart said. “And to be married to Marta … we’re working to get her citizenship, and she is a legal permanent resident and all of that. But it seems like it doesn’t matter. And I think that that’s why these policies need to be put in place, that reform needs to happen, because it doesn’t seem to be affecting the right people. It’s not helping anybody.”
Breanna Stewart explains motivation for protest sign (0:56)Breanna Stewart lays out why she held up an “Abolish ICE” sign during Unrivaled player introductions on Sunday. (0:56)
Breanna Stewart lays out why she held up an “Abolish ICE” sign during Unrivaled player introductions on Sunday. (0:56)
CloseCovers women’s college basketball and the WNBA Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati EnquirerFollow on X