Facts of Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith |
|
Full Name: | Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith |
---|---|
Birth Date: | August 2, 1990 |
Age: | 34 years |
Gender: | Female |
Profession: | Professional basketball player |
Country: | USA |
Horoscope: | Leo |
Height: | 5 feet 8 inches (1.73m) |
Husband | Daniel Smith |
Net Worth | $400 thousand |
Birth Place | South Bend, Indiana |
Status | Married |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Mixed |
Religion | Christian |
Education | University of Notre Dame Washington High School |
Father | Tige Diggins |
Mother | Renee Scott |
Siblings | Tige, Destyn, Maurice and, Hanneaf |
Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith Facebook | |
Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith Twitter | |
Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith Instagram | |
View more / View less Facts of Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith |
Skylar Diggins-Smith has been named to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star team four times and the All-WNBA First Team twice.
She is a professional basketball player in the United States who advocates for equal pay in the WNBA and NBA.
Skylar is without a question one of the best players in the WNBA, making the list of 30 Under 30 – Sports 2019. In addition, she was named the WNBA’s Most Improved Player in 2014.
By her second year on the collegiate squad, she had figured out how to capture people’s attention. She was quickly becoming a household name as the team’s numbers leader.
Let’s look at some quick facts before diving deeper into Smith’s biography.
Body Dimensions
Skylar Diggins 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 reportedly works really hard 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.
Her balanced and stringent diet goes hand in hand with her exhausting workout.
To illustrate, her heavy days contain a high carbohydrate diet, whereas her light and regular days do not.
She eats oatmeal for breakfast as a regular and quick meal. In the afternoon, serve chicken or fish with veggies and sweet potatoes or quinoa.
Hydration is the final and most vital factor, thus her favorite drink is BODYARMOR. Diggins believes in getting enough relaxation, therefore she only trains five days a week and rests the other.
Smith, Skylar Diggins | Childhood, Family, and Education
South Bend, Indiana is the hometown of this brilliant and opinionated basketball star. Renee Scott and Tige Diggins welcomed Skylar into the world on August 2, 1990.
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.”
Skylar was so signed by Tige for a variety of sports, including cheerleading, tumbling, gymnastics, and later basketball.
She recalls playing basketball with all males at the YMCA when she was six years old, and no one passed 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.
A career in High School
She attended 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.
She became the third-highest female scorer in Indiana history, averaging 25.9 points per game.
She has her CGPA in school while retaining her basketball scores. 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 named to the all-state first 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.
College Life
She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Management-Entrepreneurship from Notre Dame.
Skylar became Irish Roaster’s fourth Indiana native.
She continued to thrive 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, and she is the only player of any gender to have done so!
She set a Notre Dame record by being the first player to score 400 points in her freshman season. 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 with a Big East opponent in the NCAA women’s basketball final four. Skylar was selected Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year for the second year in a row, despite the fact that they lost the game.
Marina Mabrey, a Notre Dame alumna, may also be of interest to you.
Career Opportunities
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 match against the Seattle Storm in 2015, she tore her 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, helping 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, which injured 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 quite some 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 illustrated a children’s book, The Middle School Rules of Skylar Diggins, with her husband.
Injury to Skylar Diggins
Diggins has always been that fiery, determined young lady. Young and capable, she is health-conscious and has not succumbed to illness as frequently as others.
However, during her third season with the Tulsa Shock in 2015, Diggins had a number of injuries. Their team was leading the game, and the clock indicated only 44 seconds to the end.
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.
Skylar Diggins says
“That was my first significant injury.” It definitely taught me a lot about my body and how I should’ve taken care of it in the past, and how I should take care of it today. Injuries are not uncommon. Things happen when you play sports. I realized there was nothing I could do about it.”
Achievements of Skylar Diggins
- 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)
Skylar Diggins-Smith | Net Worth
Diggins- Smith is one of the highest-paid basketball players in the WNBA.
Skylar was signed by the Phoenix Mercury for four years in February 2020 under the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, which would pay her a base salary of $215,000 this year.
Skylar had already bargained with her previous squad to obtain her full salary while on maternity leave, despite the fact that many athletes are only paid half.
Sklyar’s net worth is believed to be $400 thousand, according to celebritynetworth.com.
Diggins-Smith has sponsorship deals in addition to her income; for example, she was the first female athlete to sign with Roc Nation Sports in 2013. She’s also worked with brands like Nike, Puma, and BodyArmor.
Fun fact: she appeared in a Bodyarmor commercial directed by Kobe Bryant.
Husband Skylar Diggins-Smith
Skylar announced her engagement to Daniel Smith in 2016. While at Notre Dame, the pair met for the first time.
Smith is a former wide receiver at Notre Dame. The pair married on April 29, 2017 in 2017. Their wedding took place at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
On the court, she changed her jersey name to Diggins-Smith after marrying Daniel.
Skylar gave birth to her son, Seven, in 2019. The name was chosen for biblical reasons. She has not revealed her son’s identity in order to keep him away from the spotlight and paparazzi.
She was, nevertheless, pregnant without informing anyone. She later said that she had to take two months off from basketball during the WNBA season this year due to postpartum depression.
Diggins-Smith on Pay Disparity
Skylar is one of the rare basketball players that freely discuss sensitive but important matters.
She discussed the WNBA’s compensation disparity with their NBA counterparts in a Wealthsimple Magazine series called “Money Diaries.”
She recognizes that she is one of the highest-paid players on the Dallas Wings, but she recognizes that her pay pales in comparison to Harrison Barnes, who has significantly worse stats.
She also revealed that NBA players make 50% of the league’s annual revenue, compared to the WNBA’s 22%.
Personality
Skylar Diggins-Smith is noted for her dedication and perseverance. She has always been a natural leader and is known for making sensible and speedy choices in court. Sklar is a dedicated and industrious woman.
She went through the full 2018 season without anyone knowing she was pregnant. She was in charge of maintaining the team’s energy, despite the fact that it was exhausting.
Skylar is not afraid to express herself. Being a mother is difficult enough, but moms who must travel regularly face additional challenges. Skylar, for example, was accused of abandoning her team.
Skylar suffered from post-partum depression after the birth of his baby and has spoken up about it.
She has also spoken about her problems as a new mother and the difficulty she has had keeping up with the game.
Skylar has publicly urged the WNBA to give resources to new mothers, such as the right to a private room in which to pump and milk their babies.
Furthermore, many sporty mothers have spoken up about their difficulties. Sanya Richards-Ross, Allyson Felix, and Serena Williams, for example, have all spoken up about their challenges.
Skylar considers herself a housewife. She enjoys spending time with her loved ones. “You don’t have to be the best, but you do have to be the best version of yourself,” Skylar says.
Fun Fact
If Skylar Diggins becomes a fashion icon and model, it will come as no surprise.
She has apparently been dubbed the “most stylish athlete.” Diggins describes her own style as “tomboy chic,” meaning “comfy and current.”
She is also pretty playful with her style and professes her love for Zendaya.
Apart from that, Diggins is a Connect four genius, as she confesses.
Social Media Presence | Skylar Diggins-Smith
Skylar, like other athletes, is active on social media and routinely updates her followers. You can check out her personal accounts for a closer look at the athlete.
As a result, Diggins uses the handle Skylar Diggins-Smith (@skylardiggins), where she has 4.6k followers.on Facebook, where she has 4.6k followers.
Her Instagram handle, @skydigg4, has over a million followers. Last but not least, under the handle Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4), she has 569.2k Twitter followers.
Skylar Diggins-Smith | Frequently Asked Questions
What is Skylar Diggins’ jersey number?
The Phoenix Mercury’s Skylar Diggins wears number 4 on his jersey.
Apart from basketball, what is Skylar Diggins renowned for?
Skylar Diggins is most recognized for his role as an executive producer on the Nickelodeon documentary series Little Ballers Indiana.
She is also the topic of The Middle School Rules of Skylar Diggins, a children’s novel.
Skylar Diggins-Smith enjoys what?
Skylar Diggins-Smith is a huge music fan who frequently attends Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, and Bruno Mars events.