Seven-time WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins made headlines earlier today when she announced that the Chicago Sky have elected to bring her off the bench for the foreseeable future, according to Nick Hamilton of Nitecast Media. The former six-time All-NBA Member took to social media to deliver the news.
“Now I’m coming off the bench?????? Cool,” Diggins wrote on her Instagram story.
“And the crazy part about it all is that… I’ve been so quiet. I’ve been so good and quiet. I’ve been so good and quiet,” she said in a video.
Diggins has started all 19 games this season for the Chicago Sky, and over the course of her 12-year career, she has not started in 13 games. She has played 354 games in her Hall of Fame career.
Former NBA All-Star Michael Redd, with the Milwaukee Bucks, took to X after the news began to spread, sharing his perspective.
“Love Skylar. Diggins Hall of Famer. No debate. But one of the hardest things for any hooper is getting older. Not because you wake up one day and can’t play,” said Redd.
“ That’s (almost) never how it happens. You just lose a little. Half a step. A little burst. A little vert. Coming off the bench after being the No. 1 player your whole career? Man…that’s hard. Trust me, I know.”
“It was hard for me to admit I wasn’t that guy anymore. That’s part of why I retired. Every former go-to player I know has had to wrestle with that part of it. And before y’all get mad at me, go look at the advanced numbers. Go look at the film. Skylar can still hoop. I think she can help a team win for another 3 or 4 years. The other thing is…we’re not in that locker room. We have no idea what the conversations between Skylar and the organization have been like, or whether she’s been communicated with the right way. None of us know that.”
He added:” I’m just talking about the basketball side of it, and how tough this stage of a career can be. If this sounds like criticism, it isn’t. It’s respect. It comes from somebody who’s lived it.”
Diggins is averaging 14.2 points and 4.9 assists and shooting 39% from the floor this season for the Sky.
Redd played 12 seasons in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, and won a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics with Team USA.
As for Diggins, she signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Sky this past offseason after playing two seasons with the Seattle Storm. She averaged 15.5 points last season with the Seattle Storm.
“I still feel like I’m capable of playing basketball at a really high level,” Diggins said at the Sky’s introductory news conference. “I’m not just coming in here saying this is the end for me. I want to play some good basketball.”
Adding, “I just decided (signing with the Sky) was a change needed for my family and I,” Diggins said. “I’m from The Bend, from South Bend. So I’m no stranger to the area, no stranger to the Midwest. Wanted to be close to home and close to family. I have a 7-year-old and a 3-year-old, so I’m bringing my kiddos with me.”
“Skylar is a player we have coveted for years. We are ecstatic to bring her to Chicago,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said in the team’s official announcement. “She is one of the all-time elite passers in our game and continues to play at a high level on both sides of the ball.”
