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Skylar Diggins-Smith Gets Vulnerable About Her Return to the Courts After Second Baby

The professional basketball player and mom of two gave a sweet, special shout-out to friend and WNBA assistant coach Bridget Pettis.

Ananya Panchal

Sylar Diggins-Smith

Sylar Diggins-Smith.

WNBA player Skylar Diggins-Smith is making her comeback to pro basketball after welcoming her second baby last year, and she just signed with the Seattle Storm.

The 33-year-old, who used to play for the Phoenix Mercury and the Tulsa Shock, shares her son and daughter with husband Daniel Smith.

The Indiana native, who averaged 19.7 points and 5.5 assists per game in 2022, opened up during a recent Storm press conference and shared emotional details about what the process of deciding to come back looked like for her.

“It’s different. I questioned, ‘Can I do this? Did I want to do this?’ I didn’t feel like I wanted to keep playing. I didn’t know,” she shared.

Diggins-Smith gave a special shout-out to mentor, friend and assistant coach of the Chicago Sky, Bridget Pettis, who played college basketball and was a guard in the WNBA for eight seasons. She noted that the two have been close for a decade. When Diggins-Smith was originally drafted and considered playing overseas instead of in the WNBA because she didn’t feel like she “fit in,” it was Pettis who gave her the confidence to shut down her own imposter syndrome.

“She was the one that grabbed me and was like, ‘No, you’re great. I believe in you.’ Sometimes it’s just as simple as [hearing] that,” Diggins-Smith recalled. “Ten years later, [again] I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I could do this. I might just retire.’ And she pushed me. I lost 50 pounds.”

Diggins-Smith added that with the help of Pettis, she was able to get back in the gym just three months postpartum. Without any access to professional resources or  trainers, she put in the hard work and got back in shape.

“She got me back to that belief where I feel like now I feel stronger than I was before and I didn’t think that was possible. Going through postpartum stuff, you never know where you’re going to be. She pulled me out of another place,” Diggins-Smith continued. “I can’t say enough, what Bridget means to this journey. She [put] light into the fire. I’m coming for everything. She put that in my mind that I can be great and I’m still great. I feel like I’m mentally tougher, physically stronger, and I cannot wait for the opportunity to prove that.”

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.

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