As Skylar Diggins gears up for the upcoming WNBA season, she says she wants to be addressed differently and is excited about her current position in the league.
On April 25, the Seattle Storm franchise released a photo on X, formerly Twitter, featuring their roster of players who will be at training camp this year. Bella Valeriano Munson, a reporter at The Next Hoops, noticed the six-time All-WNBA pick’s name was missing her husband’s last name, “Smith.” After some investigative work, Munson tweeted, “Seattle Storm PR confirms to The Next that Skylar Diggins-Smith would now like to be referred to as Skylar Diggins.”
The tweet quickly went viral; a reporter asked Diggins during a recent press conference, “I see your name tag says Skylar Diggins. So, just wanted to know if that’s how you want us to address you the rest of the year?”
Skylar Diggins reclaims her maiden name
Grateful for the question, Diggins confirmed what people should say when they mention her name because she now wishes to revert to being solely addressed with her maiden name.
“Yes. Thank you for the question, too. Yes, it does say Skylar Diggins, and I would like to be addressed as that moving forward,” the athlete responded, focusing on basketball. “Thank you guys so much, and as always, my focus is on being a great teammate, adding value to this team on and off the floor and in this community, and as always, being a good mom to my two babies.”
Although Diggins shared this update, her name on social media still includes “Smith.” She joked that because there are trolls out there, she knows people will call her what they deem fit.
“It won’t change for none of y’all anyways, you know what I’m saying?” Diggins told the press, grinning. “Some of y’all just call me whatever y’all want to call me anyways.”
Skylar Diggins credits Storm teammates for her comeback
According to ESPN, after having her second child in 2023, the mother of two returned to the league as a free agent and was picked up by the Storm. Following the 2023-24 season, the team earned 14 more wins (25-15) with the help of Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike. The WNBA veteran, who has over a decade under her belt, revealed that her current teammates are “definitely the most talented roster I’ve been a part of in my 13 years,” ESPN.
After finishing the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league debut, she feels confident and ready for the 2025-26 season, which kicks off May 16.
“I had a great time at Unrivaled,” Diggins expressed. “I think it really got me prepared, especially coming off last season. I can’t say it enough, coming off maternity leave and having that big of a gap between games. When I went into the season and the opportunity came about, nobody really kind of knew what it really was or what it was going to be.”
She added, “Once I saw the caliber of players that were going to be involved, I knew that was going to be some good run for me to get ready for this camp. Everything that I wanted to use it for came to fruition.”
