Seattle Storm's Breanna Stewart Shares Childhood Sex Abuse Story

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle Storm star Breanna Stewart published an essay Monday describing years of sexual abuse she suffered as a child. Stewart, a UCONN graduate and the No. 1 2016 WNBA draft pick, was abused between the ages of about 9 and 11, she writes in the essay. It's a tough topic for her to talk about, she writes, but also cathartic.

"Every time I tell someone, I feel a little more unburdened," she wrote.

The title of the essay is "Me Too," which has been a rallying cry for women who have been sexually abused by men. The social media slogan arose in recent weeks after women came forward to talk about sexual assaults perpetuated by Harvey Weinstein, Mark Halperin, James Toback, and others.

In the essay, Stewart says her abuser would molest her whenever she slept over at a relative's house. The abuser was a tenant at the home. In addition to the nighttime abuse, Stewart said he would "always find a way to be near me in public."

The abuser confessed and was jailed after Stewart told her parents about the abuse.

The essay, she writes, is meant to empower other women to come forward about abuse.

I do know that I’m doing something completely outside of myself by writing this. In fact, this is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done and will ever do. But I was recently reading McKayla Maroney’s personal account of sexual abuse — one of many powerful stories the #metoo campaign has inspired — and I felt … less alone.

Maybe that’s the point. Our experiences are different. How we cope is different. But our voices matter.

Photo: Seattle Storm's Breanna Stewart smiles while being interviewed after a WNBA basketball game against the San Antonio Stars Sunday, June 18, 2017, in Seattle.

Image via Elaine Thompson/Associated Press