Skylar Diggins-Smith

Who is Skylar Diggins-Smith?

Skylar Diggins-Smith is a professional basketball player. Skylar Diggins-Smith has been named to the WNBA All-Star team four times and the All-WNBA First Team twice. Skylar is without a question one of the best players in the WNBA, making the list of 30 Under 30 – Sports 2019.

She went to Washington High School in South Bend as a child.

She was a four-year varsity basketball player throughout her time there.

She scored 2,790 points during her high school basketball career.

Childhood, Family, and Education

Skylar Diggins-Smith was born on August 2, 1990, in South Bend, Indiana to Renee Scott and Tige Diggins welcomed Skylar.

Her parents and younger siblings, Tige Jr., Destyn, Maurice, and Hanneaf, raised her.

Skylar isn’t the only one in the family who is athletic.

Tige, her mother, is a gymnast. At a young age, her mother noticed she was “more into the dirt than dolls.”

As a result, Tige signed Skylar for a variety of sports, including cheerleading, tumbling, gymnastics, and eventually basketball.

She recalls playing basketball with all guys at the YMCA when she was six years old and recalls that no one would give the ball to her because she was a girl.

She made a layup when she finally got a chance to catch the ball.

As her passion for basketball grew, she discovered she was actually quite excellent at it and could play for the rest of her life.

Body Dimensions

Skylar Diggins-Smith is a stunning woman with a well-toned athletic body.

Her appearance is tan-skinned, with curling black hair and similar-colored eyes.

Diggins also rocked her body, standing at 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) and weighing 64 kilograms (141 lbs).

Diggins, it appears, works very hard and very precisely to maintain her fitness at this level.

She works out with enormous tires, ropes, and sledgehammers, among other things.

As a result, she gains increased strength and agility.

Diggins prefers high-intensity activities, such as drills with high repetitions and little recovery, among the many workout options.

Facts of Skylar Diggins-Smith

Net Worth

Skylar Diggins-Smith’s net worth is estimated at $400 thousand. Diggins is one of the highest-paid basketball players in the WNBA.

In February 2020, Phoenix Mercury signed Skylar for four years under WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement will pay her a $215,000 base salary this year.

Skylar had previously negotiated with her last team to receive a full salary while on maternity leave, as many players are paid only half.

Besides her salary, Diggins-Smith has endorsement deals; for instance, in 2013, she signed with Roc Nation Sports, the first female athlete to do so. She also has dealt with Nike, Puma, and BodyArmor.

Career in High School

She went to Washington High School in South Bend as a child. She was a four-year varsity basketball player throughout her time there. She scored 2,790 points during her high school basketball career.

As a result, she became Indiana’s third-highest female scorer with an average of 25.9 points per game.

She maintains her basketball scores while simultaneously retaining her CGPA in school. She graduated fifth in her class with a 3.93 GPA.

She was not only a great basketball player, but she also played volleyball.

Diggins-Smith guided the Panthers to two state championships, including the 2007 championship season. She was awarded to the first-team all-state team in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

In comparison to other players, Skylar rose to prominence at a very young age. She won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award.

Career in College

She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Management-Entrepreneurship from Notre Dame. Skylar became Irish Roaster’s fourth Indiana native.

She continued to excel on the field in college, and she is the only player in Notre Dame basketball history to have 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 steals, and 500 assists.

She set a record as the only Notre Dame rookie to score 400 points in a single season during her freshman year. She was also named one of three Miss Basketball recipients for the 2009-10 season.

She led her squad to their second NCAA championship in school history during her sophomore season, 10 years after their first victory in 2001.

The Associated Press named her to the 2011 Third Team All-American team for her outstanding performance on the court.

Diggins-Smiths set a career-high with 16.8 points, 5.7 assists, and 2.6 steals in her junior season.

She was voted Big East Player of the Year and Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year by the end of the season, becoming the first Notre Dame player to do so.

She started all 37 games in her senior year of college, posting a career-high 17.1 points.

She finished her college career in the last four of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament against a Big East opponent.

Skylar was selected as Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year for the second year in a row, despite the fact that they lost the game.

A Professional Life

The Tulsa Shock selected Skylar third overall in the 2013 WNBA Draft. She set a career-high with 22 points in 2013 and was chosen to the WNBA All-Rookie Team.

Skylar had a breakout year in 2014, earning WNBA All-Star honors and the WNBA Most Improved Player Award.

During a game against the Seattle Storm in 2015, she sustained a torn ACL. She appeared in nine games, averaging 17.8 points per game.

She was chosen WNBA All-Star for the second year in a row despite missing the rest of the season.

She was a finalist for the US Olympic squad in 2016, however, she was unable to compete due to a ruptured ACL. Four weeks after the team was chosen, she returned to the court.

Skylar signed a multi-year contract with the Tulsa Shock, now known as the Dallas Wings, in 2016, and returned to play 27 games.

Throughout the season, she averaged 13.1 points per game on average. In 2017, she started all 34 games and averaged 18.5 points per game, guiding the squad to a 7th-place finish in the league.

Against the Indiana Fever, Skylar set a new career-high with 35 points. For the fourth time, she was named to the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game.

Skylar was smacked hard on the chin in the same year, causing damage to a portion of her head. Many speculated that she had suffered a concussion, but officials clarified that she had simply experienced dizziness.

Diggin-Smith was traded to the Phoenix Mercury in 2020, according to reports.

Offseasons

For a long time, Skylar has been associated with ESPN. It all started as a college summer internship for her.

She works as a commentator for the WNBA playoffs and as a guest host during her offseasons.

She was an executive producer for Nickelodeon’s documentary series Little Ballers Indiana.

Skylar and her husband co-wrote and drew the Middle School Rules of Skylar Diggins, a children’s book.

Injury

Diggins has always been a fiery young lady with a tough demeanor. Young and capable, she is health-conscious and hasn’t succumbed to illness as frequently as others.

Having said that, Diggins did suffer a number of injuries during her third season with the Tulsa Shock in 2015.

Their team was leading the game, and the clock indicated that the game was only 44 seconds away from completion.

Diggins had just scored 31 points and was chasing down a ball at the time.

She did, however, collapse and tear her ACL in her right knee. Indeed, it was Diggins’ most serious injury, keeping her out for the remainder of the season.

Husband

In 2016, Skylar Diggins-Smith announced her engagement with Daniel Smith. The couple first met while attending Notre Dame.

Smith is a former Notre Dame wide receiver. In 2017, the couple tied the knot on April 29, 2017. Their wedding was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

After getting married to Daniel, she changed her jersey name to Diggins- Smith on the court.

In 2019, Skylar gave birth to her son, Seven. The couple chose the name for biblical reasons.

She tries to keep her son away from the limelight and paparazzi and has not disclosed her son’s identity.

However, she was pregnant without telling a single soul. Later, she stated that she took two full months away from basketball during this year’s WNBA season due to postpartum depression.

Unequal Pay

Skylar is one of the few players to talk about sensitive yet essential issues in basketball openly.

In a series called “Money Diaries” by Wealthsimple Magazine, she wrote about WNBA’s salary discrepancy compared to their NBA counterparts.

She accepts that she is one of the highest-paid players on the Dallas Wings, yet her salary is nothing compared to Harrison Barnes, whose stats are much lower than hers.

Moreover, she also disclosed that NBA players earn 50 percent of the league’s annual revenue compared to the WNBA’s 22 percent revenue.

Personality

Diggins-Smith is known to be a persistent and dedicated athlete.

A natural leader since birth, she is known to make rational and quick decisions in court. Sklar is a hardworking, passionate woman.

She played the entire 2018 season being pregnant, with no one knowing about it. Although it was very tiring, she was responsible for keeping the energy up as a team captain.

Skylar does not hesitate to speak her mind. Being a mother isn’t an easy job, but mothers who need to travel frequently face many hurdles. For instance, Skylar was accused of abandoning her team.

Skylar went through post-partum depression after giving birth to his son and has been vocal about her struggle. Moreover, she has also described her struggles as a new mom and the difficulties faced to keep up with the game.

Skylar has openly called out WNBA to provide resources such as the right to have a private room to pump and nurse the baby for new mothers.

Moreover, many athletic mothers have shared their struggles. For instance, Sanya Richards-Ross, Allyson Felix, and Serena Williams have also shared their struggles.

Skylar describes herself as a homebody. She loves spending quality time with her family. Skylar’s life mantra is, “You don’t have to be the best, but you have to be the best version of yourself.”

Know about: Nicole Skyes, Kirby Howell, Tom Ackerley

Social Media Presence

Like other athletes, Skylar is active on social media and frequently updates her fan through social media. For further personal closeness with the athlete, you can check her personal accounts.

Consequently, Diggins goes by the Facebook name Diggins-Smith (@skylardiggins), where she has 4.6k followers.

Furthermore, her Instagram handle has 1 million followers who have the name @skydigg4. Last but not least, her Twitter account depicts 569.2k followers under the name Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4).