WNBA player Skylar Diggins-Smith played the entire 2018 season while pregnant and never told anyone. It was something she revealed in a series of tweets over the weekend, where she also called out the league and her team the Dallas Wings.
Diggins-Smith sat out all of the 2019 season after welcoming a son — her first child — with husband Daniel Smith in April. And she was accused by some of quitting and giving up on her team.
In her messages, the 29-year-old said she experienced post-postpartum depression and got very little support from the Wings or the WNBA.
“Having no support from your own organization is unfortunate,” she tweeted on Oct. 18. “People called me a quitter, said I gave up on my team, etc., etc.”
“Not knowing I took two FULL months away from everything because of postpartum depression, with limited resources to help me be successful mentally/physically,” the hoop star continued. “But just wait though….KEEP THAT SAME ENERGY.”
“The blasts that disrespect of mothers (and our rights) in the WNBA is incredible. I can’t wait until you hear my story FROM ME!” she also tweeted.
Diggins-Smith’s frustration may be based off something that occurred behind the scenes, because in July the general manager of the Dallas Wings Greg Bibb said the organization fully supports her taking time off.
“It’s 100 percent up to Skylar,” he told The Dallas Morning News. “We’re going to support her and her timeline.”
Bibb also released a statement on Saturday to ESPN after Diggins-Smith sent her tweets.
“We support our athletes in getting the care they need, whether that’s physical or mental in nature,” Bibb explained. “We also understand the serious nature of an individual’s mental health.”
“Due to the confidentiality associated with seeking mental-health care, unless an athlete provided explicit consent to the psychologist, we are not provided any information regarding individual sessions or related care,” he added. “As a result of this confidentiality, and out of the respect for privacy, I can’t comment on any individual situation.”
After the point guard sent her tweets, she received a lot of encouraging words from fans.
“Very unfortunate. We miss you but your Self care is more important,” one person wrote.
“Being happy with yourself is all that matters in the long run,” wrote another.
