WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith details past struggles with anxiety before joining Storm

Six-time WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith made a big career decision in February when she signed a two-year deal with the Seattle Storm.

Diggins-Smith spent the past four years with the Phoenix Mercury. But she went through an acrimonious breakup with the Mercury, which led her to the Storm.

She recently sat down with ESPN's LaChina Robinson for a wide-ranging conversation. At one point during the interview, Diggins-Smith opened up about her mental health journey.

"I've struggled with anxiety. I've struggled with depression and other mental health things where I would feel weak asking for help," she said during the latest edition of ESPN's "WNBA Off Day."

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Diggins-Smith is among the growing number of athletes who have spoken about how mental health has affected them professionally and personally.

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But Diggins-Smith did not have a smooth start to her tenure with the Storm. After a loss May 20 dropped Seattle's record to 1-3, Diggins-Smith's coach, Noelle Quinn, came to her defense.

"There needs to be respect about the fact that she had two children and hasn't played in 20 months. She's not where she will be in Game 4 of the season," Quinn said. "She's not going to come overnight and be who she was 20 months ago, and we have to respect that and honor that. I do. As a coach, as an organization we do. 

"So my grace as a coach is to know she's working her butt off every day. You guys don't see it. Every single day. Two children. Not one, two."

Diggins-Smith's time in Phoenix could best be described as uneven. She was named to the WNBA All-Star team three times while she was a member of the Mercury, and she played a vital role in the team's run to the 2021 WNBA Finals.

However, there was a noticeable shift in Diggins-Smith's situation after she missed the last four games of the 2022 season. At the time, her absence was said to be due to personal reasons. She later announced her pregnancy and remained on maternity leave for the entire 2023 season.

Diggins-Smith expressed her frustration with the Mercury and claimed the team barred her from team sites while she was on leave. 

Diggins-Smith admitted she experienced doubts about her ability to adjust to the culture of a new WNBA team, especially after a nearly two-year layoff.

"Am I going to be able to fit in socially with this team? Am I going to sound like someone's mom? Because I'm a stay-at-home mom. Every day, I'm with my kids and working out, and then I'm with my kids or whatever we're doing. So, to come back after 21 months of being a stay-at-home mom, can I adapt to this environment again? Are they going to think I'm weird? I think just being real with myself about how I feel and how things make me feel, setting boundaries," Diggins-Smith told Robinson about her road to self-discovery.

"I think just being real with myself about how I feel and how things make me feel. ... I think I've always struggled with anxiety. I just think I didn't know what that was until I talked to somebody about how I was feeling, and like, 'Oh, that's anxiety!' I thought that was just Sky ... and it's like you're not the only person feeling this way. But sometimes you hesitate to share it."

When Diggins-Smith addressed the media for the first time as a member of the Storm, she said her decision to sign with the team boiled down to who she wanted to team up with.

"I want to play with Jewell," Diggins-Smith said in February during her introductory press conference.

Diggins-Smith's former team visited Seattle June 4, and the Storm secured an 80-62 win.

"The grass is definitely greener for me," she said after the Storm's victory. "Just really focused on being here where I’m planted and trying to make sure I’m focused for this role on this team and all of my energy is where my feet are planted."

Diggins-Smith recently found herself at the center of controversy when she played the Indiana Fever. Diggins-Smith appeared to shoulder rookie sensation Caitlin Clark out of the way during a timeout. Clark did not seem phased by the altercation and continued to hype up the home fans. Clark finished the game with 23 points.

Storm legend Sue Bird reacted to what she described as a "spicy" moment.

"There was some video circulating," Bird told retired U.S. women's soccer player Megan Rapinoe on their "A Touch More" podcast.

"It seems like Caitlin, in her getting the crowd hype, stumbled, maybe got nudged a little bit there by Skylar, stumbled into the Storm bench area and just kept it moving. Things got a little spicy. None of this is surprising to me."

"Caitlin is always in the mix. I like it," Rapinoe said.

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