Skylar Diggins-Smith is a four-time Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star and two times All-WNBA First Team honoree, among other titles.
She is an American basketball player and an advocate for equal pay among WNBA and NBA.
Making the list of 30 Under 30 – Sports 2019, Skylar, without a doubt, is one of the greatest players in the WNBA. Moreover, she was also the recipient of the WNBA Most Improved Player in 2014.
She was quick to get people’s attention by the time she was in her second year with the college team. Leading the numbers for the team, she was becoming a household name.
Before looking more into Smith’s life, let us have a look at quick facts.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith |
| Birth Date | August 2, 1990 |
| Birth Place | South Bend, Indiana |
| Age | 31 Years Old |
| Nick Name | Skylar |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Alma Mater | University of Notre Dame Washington High School |
| Horoscope | Leo |
| Father’s Name | Tige Diggins |
| Mother’s Name | Renee Scott |
| Siblings | Tige, Destyn, Maurice and, Hanneaf |
| Height | 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) |
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lbs) |
| Profession | Professional basketball player |
| Position | Point guard |
| Relationship | Married |
| Husband | Daniel Smith |
| Affiliations | Tusla Shock / Dallas Wings Phoenix Mercury |
| Net Worth | $400 thousand |
| Merch | Trading Cards |
| Social Media | Facebook, Twitter |
| Last Update | July 2022 |
Body Dimensions
Skylar Diggins is a stunning woman with a lean, athletic body. Her features include tan skin, curling black hair, and similar-colored eyes.
Diggins, who is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) tall and 64 kg, also sways her body (141 lbs). Diggins reportedly puts forth a lot of effort and discipline to maintain her level of fitness. She uses sledgehammers, ropes, and enormous tires as part of some of her exercise regimens. She gains strength and greater agility as a result.
Diggins prefers high-intensity workouts, such as drills with many repetitions and little rest, among the many other workout techniques.
She maintains a balanced and tight diet in addition to her exhausting workout.
To give an example, she consumes a lot of carbohydrates on her heavy days but not on her light or regular days.
She eats oatmeal for morning, which is her go-to meal on the run. In the afternoon, have chicken, fish, and quinoa or sweet potatoes with veggies.
Hydration is the final and most crucial element, which is why her preferred beverage is BODYARMOR. Diggins only trains five days a week and takes the other day off because she believes in the importance of getting enough sleep.
Early Life, Family, and Education | Skylar Diggins-Smith
Basketball player who is both gifted and opinionated was born in South Bend, Indiana. Skylar Diggins was born to Renee Scott and Tige Diggins on August 2, 1990.
Her parents, along with Tige Jr., Destyn, Maurice, and Hanneaf, were her primary caregivers. There are other athletes in the family besides Skylar. Gymnast Tige is her mother. At a young age, her mother noticed that she was “more into the dirt than into dolls.”
As a result, Tige signed Skylar for a variety of sports, including cheerleading, gymnastics, tumbling, and subsequently basketball.
She remembers no one passing the ball to her because she was a girl when she was 6 years old playing basketball at the YMCA with all boys.
She eventually got the chance to catch the ball, and she did so by making a layup. She discovered she was actually good at basketball and could play it for the rest of her life as her enthusiasm for the sport only developed.
After High School
She went to South Bend’s Washington High School while she was growing up. She participated in four years of varsity basketball throughout her stay there. She scored 2,790 points during her high school basketball career.
She consequently rose to the third-highest girl scorer in Indiana history with an average of 25.9 points per game.
She keeps up her basketball grades while simultaneously keeping a good scholastic GPA. She finished fifth in her class with a 3.93 GPA.
She is not only a great basketball player, but she also played volleyball. Diggins-Smith coached the Panthers to two state titles, one of which was the 2007 championship campaign. She was named to the first team for all-state in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
In comparison to other athletes, Skylar achieved prominence at a fairly young age. She has won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award.
Career in College
She studied management and entrepreneurship at Notre Dame and received her bachelor’s degree. The fourth native Indianan to work for Irish Roaster was Skylar.
She continued to excel on the field during her time in college and is the only player in Notre Dame basketball history to have recorded at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 steals, and 500 assists—and that goes for either gender!
She set a record as the only Notre Dame player to score 400 points in their first season during her freshman year. She was also among the three Miss Basketball honors for the 2009–10 season.
Ten years after their initial victory in 2001, she coached her team won the second NCAA championship in school history during her sophomore season.
She was chosen by the Associated Press for the 2011 Third Team All-American for her outstanding performance on the court.
Diggins-Smiths had a career high for points in her junior season with 16.8, adding 5.7 assists and 2.6 steals.
She became the first Notre Dame athlete to earn the Big East Player of the Year and Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year awards at the end of the season.
She played in all 37 games during her senior year of college, posting a career-high 17.1 points.
She finished her undergraduate career by defeating a Big East opponent in the NCAA women’s basketball final four. Skylar received the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year award for the second year in a row despite the fact that they lost the game.
Career in the Profession
In the third round of the 2013 WNBA Draft, the Tulsa Shock selected Skylar. She achieved a career high of 22 points in 2013 and was chosen to the WNBA All-Rookie Team.
Skylar had a breakthrough year in 2014, when she was named a WNBA All-Star and took home the league’s Most Improved Player honors.
She experienced an ACL tear in 2015 while playing against the Seattle Storm. She participated in nine games, scoring 17.8 points on average.
She was chosen WNBA All-Star for the second year in a row despite sitting out the remainder of the season.
She was one of the top candidates for the American Olympic squad in 2016, however she was unable to compete because of an ACL tear. Four weeks after the team was selected, she went back to the court.
When Skylar returned, she participated in 27 games for the Tulsa Shock, now known as the Dallas Wings, on a multi-year contract she signed in 2016.
Over the course of the season, she averaged 13.1 points per game. She participated in all 34 of the season’s games in 2017 and led the squad to the league’s seventh-place finish with an average of 18.5 points per game.
Against the Indiana Fever, Skylar scored 35 points, a new career high. She later received a fourth vote for the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game.
Skylar was struck severely on her chin in the same year of 2018, which caused damage to a portion of her head. Many suggested that she may have had a concussion, but they all agreed that she simply experienced dizziness.
Diggin-Smith was traded to the Phoenix Mercury, it was revealed in 2020.
The off-season
Skylar has a long-standing relationship with ESPN. Her college summer internship was where it all started. In her off-seasons, she serves as a guest host and a commentator for the WNBA playoffs.
She served as the executive producer of the Nickelodeon documentary series Little Ballers Indiana. The Middle School Rules of Skylar Diggins is a children’s book that Skylar and her husband illustrated.
Injury: Skylar Diggins
Diggins has always been that fiery, resolute young lady. She is competent and young, and she takes good care of her health and hasn’t been as ill as some people.
Diggins did experience a number of injuries in 2015, during her third season with the Tulsa Shock. Given that their side was winning and that there were only 44 seconds left in the game.
Diggins dropped the 31 points at that precise moment while pursuing a ball.
She lost her balance, tearing the ACL in her right knee. In fact, it ranks as Diggins’s primary serious injury, keeping her out for the remainder of the year.
“That was the first major injury I’ve had. It definitely taught me a lot about my body and how I should’ve, or should from now on, take care of it. Injuries aren’t an anomaly. You play sports, and things happen. I knew it wasn’t anything I could control.”
-Skylar Diggins
Achievements
- 4× WNBA All-Star (2014, 2015, 2017 & 2018)
- 2× All-WNBA First Team (2014 & 2017)
- 2× All-WNBA Second Team (2018 & 2020)
- WNBA All-Rookie Team (2013)
- 2× Nancy Lieberman Award winner (2012 & 2013)
- 2× First-team All-American – AP (2012 & 2013)
- Third-team All-American – AP (2011)
- 2× Big East Player of the Year (2012 & 2013)
- McDonald’s All-American (2009)
- Indiana Miss Basketball (2009)
- Gatorade National Player of the Year (2009)
Gross Value
One of the WNBA’s highest-paid basketball players is Diggins-Smith. Under the terms of the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, Phoenix Mercury signed Skylar for four years in February 2020, and she would get a base salary of $215,000 this year.
As many athletes only receive half pay while on maternity leave, Skylar had previously bargained with her previous squad to receive a full salary.
Sklyar’s net worth is assessed at $400000 by celebritynetworth.com.
In addition to her pay, Diggins-Smith has endorsement contracts. For example, in 2013, she became the first female athlete to sign with Roc Nation Sports. She has also worked with BodyArmor, Puma, and Nike.
She appeared in a Bodyarmor commercial that Kobe Bryant directed.
Husband Skylar Diggins-Smith
Skylar made her engagement to Daniel Smith public in 2016. While attending Notre Dame, the couple first became together.
Smith was a wide receiver at Notre Dame in the past. On April 29, 2017, the couple exchanged vows. The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago served as the venue for their wedding.
She changed her on-court jersey name to Diggins-Smith after getting married to Daniel.
Skylar gave birth to her son Seven in 2019. The name was selected by the couple for biblical reasons. She makes an effort to shield her son from the spotlight and the photographers and hasn’t revealed who he is.
However, she kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone. Later, she said that postpartum depression caused her to miss two full months of the WNBA season of this year’s basketball.
Diggins-Smith on Pay Disparity
One of the few basketball players that openly discusses delicate yet crucial matters is Skylar.
She discussed the pay gap between WNBA players and their NBA counterparts in a Wealthsimple Magazine series called “Money Diaries.”
She acknowledges that despite being one of the Dallas Wings’ highest-paid players and having significantly worse statistics than Harrison Barnes, she is still paid far less than Barnes.
Furthermore, she revealed that NBA players receive 50% of the league’s annual revenue, compared to the WNBA’s 22%.
Personality
It is well known that Skylar Diggins-Smith is a persistent and committed athlete. She has always been a natural leader and is renowned for making choices quickly and logically in court. Sklar is a driven, diligent woman.
While pregnant, she played the full 2018 season without anyone knowing. She was in charge of maintaining the energy despite how exhausting it was because she was the team captain.
Skylar expresses her opinions without holding back. Motherhood is not an easy task, but women who must travel regularly suffer additional difficulties. For instance, Skylar was charged with deserting her group.
After giving birth to his baby, Skylar experienced post-partum depression, and she has spoken up about her struggle.
She has also discussed her challenges as a new mother and the challenges she faces in keeping up with the game.
Skylar has openly criticized the WNBA for failing to give new mothers the option of having a private room in which to pump and feed the infant.
In addition, lots of mothers of athletes have spoken about their difficulties. Serena Williams, Allyson Felix, and Sanya Richards-Ross, among others, have all opened up about their challenges.
Skylar identifies as a housewife. She cherishes the time she gets to spend with her family. “You don’t have to be the best, but you have to be the best version of yourself,” is Skylar’s guiding principle in life.
A fun fact
If Skylar Diggins eventually becomes a model and fashion star, it won’t come as a surprise to anyone.
She has reportedly been named the “most fashionable athlete.” Diggins describes her personal style as tomboy chic, which is all about being cozy and on-trend.
She also plays around with fashion and shows her affection for Zendaya.
Apart from that, Diggins is quite the Connect Four whiz, as she freely confesses.
Skylar Diggins-presence Smith’s on social media
Skylar is active on social media, just like other athletes, and she updates her followers frequently. You can look through the athlete’s personal accounts to get a better sense of her personal life.
Consequently, Diggins goes by the Facebook name Skylar Diggins-Smith (@skylardiggins), where she has 4.6k followers.
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FAQs
What is the jersey number of Skylar Diggins?
Skylar Diggins features in jersey number 4 for the Phoenix Mercury.
What is Skylar Diggins known for apart from basketball?
Apart from basketball, Skylar Diggins is known for working as an executive producer on a Nickelodeon documentary series Little Ballers Indiana.
Additionally, she is also a subject in a children’s book, The Middle School Rules of Skylar Diggins.
What does Skylar Diggins-Smith love?
Skylar Diggins-Smith is an avid music lover and can often be seen in the concerts of Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, and Bruno Mars.