Storm's Skylar Diggins-Smith gets 100% real on being a mom in WNBA
01/16/2025 10:14 PM
Seattle Storm player Skylar Diggins-Smith, a six-time WNBA All-Star, recently opened up about the challenges and rewards players like her face juggling the duties of being a mother while competing in the WNBA. Speaking on fellow WNBA player Angel Reese's podcast on Thursday, Diggins-Smith highlighted the camaraderie among players who are balancing the demands of family and professional basketball.
"We have moms. It's me, it's BG (Brittney Griner], Chelsea (Gray) Katie (Lou Samuelson), Alyssa Thomas," Diggins-Smith shared in a recent podcast with Angel Reese. "I like to see the kids interact with each other, running around, and then turn around and see us really putting in work."
Skylar on being a WNBA mom
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The 33-year-old is one of only a few WNBA players to return to competition after giving birth to two children. She has described her recovery as an ongoing process, calling her body "a third version" of itself.
"I'm still learning about this body, still learning to give myself grace," she said in an interview with USA Today's Lindsay Schnell in June 2024. After her daughter's birth in 2023, Diggins-Smith said she approached her recovery with more patience, unlike the pressure she felt to bounce back quickly after her first child in 2019.
The challenges faced by WNBA mothers extend beyond physical recovery. Diggins-Smith and fellow moms like Dearica Hamby have spoken openly about balancing family life with professional basketball's rigorous demands, including extensive travel. The league has made strides in recent years, adding charter flights and childcare stipends, which several WNBA players who are moms have called essential steps forward.
However, Diggins-Smith has noted that improvements are still uneven. "It depends on who you play for," she said previously, reflecting on her past frustrations with the Phoenix Mercury during her maternity leave.
For Diggins-Smith, motherhood is both an inspiration and a challenge, one that she embraces with the support of her fellow WNBA moms.
"It's inspiring to be in this environment, for sure. But that’s my why. Those are my whys, my babies. And I’m glad that they get to come and be a part of things like this and they’ve made it so family-friendly," she said.
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