Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith is an American professional basketball player for Phoenix Mercury in the Women’s National Basketball Association.
Skylar Diggins-Smith : Injury | What happened to
Diggins was drafted third overall by the Tulsa Shock in the 2013 WNBA draft. In high school, she was the National Gatorade Player of the Year, the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year.
Personal information | |
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Born | August 2, 1990 South Bend, Indiana |
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
Listed weight | 145 lb (66 kg) |
Diggins played point guard for Notre Dame, where she led Notre Dame to three consecutive Final Fours and two consecutive NCAA championship appearances.
She finished her Notre Dame career ranked first in points and steals, second in assists, and as a two-time winner of the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top point guard in the nation.
Diggins-Smith averaged 8.5 points per game, 1.9 rebounds per game, 26.4 minutes per game and led the Shock in assists per game (3.8).
She was named to the All-Rookie Team. Diggins had a breakout year in the 2014 WNBA season and was named a WNBA All-Star for the first time and was also voted as a starter.
Skylar Diggins-Smith Injury
Earlier this week, Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith missed a game due to personal reasons. Moments ago, the team issued an update on her status.
The Mercury have announced that Diggins-Smith will miss the rest of the regular season due to personal reasons.
Phoenix intends to sign a replacement player before the end of this week. If the player is signed by Friday, they’ll most likely be available for the team’s showdown with the Dallas Wings.
Of course, WNBA fans are concerned about Diggins-Smith. It’s been a challenging season for the Notre Dame product.
Diggins-Smith last played on Aug. 4, the same day Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison. She was understandably emotional during her postgame press conference.
“Nobody wanted to even play today,” Diggins-Smith said. “How are you supposed to approach the game with a clear mind, and the whole group is crying before the game? Because you try to honor her and you try to come out and still play hard for her.”
What happened to
Skylar Diggins-Smith will miss the remainder of the WNBA regular season for personal reasons, the Phoenix Mercury announced on Thursday.
This continues a rough patch for the Mercury, a team that is still chasing a spot in the playoffs.
Losing Diggins-Smith means the Mercury will have to do without their leading scorer. The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 19.7 points and 5.5 assists per game on 42.9 percent shooting from the field this season.
The team has suspended her contract and is planning on signing a replacement player who will be available for Friday’s game against the Dallas Wings.
Diggins-Smith had already missed the two most recent games.
She was listed as out with a non-COVID illness during the Mercury’s win over the New York Liberty on Aug. 6, and then out for personal reasons during the loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday.
The news on Diggins-Smith comes just a few days after Diana Taurasi was ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a quad strain.
The team has also had to deal with the Brittney Griner situation. Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February for having vape cartridges containing marijuana concentrate in her luggage, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4.