Dallas Wings Women's Basketball Star Skylar Diggins-Smith Played Entire Season Pregnant
Women’s National Basketball Association star Skylar Diggins-Smith revealed Saturday that she played an entire season for the Dallas Wings while pregnant. And she’s furious the WNBA didn’t support her this year when she took two months off in the spring for postpartum depression, Diggins-Smith expressed in a series of tweets.
Diggins-Smith, 29, said she played while pregnant throughout the entire five-month 2018 season and “didn’t tell a soul.” She was still a leading player in the league and averaged 17.9 points and 6.2 assists. She also earned her fourth All-Star slot.
But Diggins-Smith said when she took two months off early this season to spend time with her newborn son and handle postpartum depression, she was slammed as a “quitter” who was giving up on her team.
I played the ENTIRE season pregnant last year! All star, and led league (top 3-5) in MPG....didn’t tell a soul.
— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) October 19, 2019
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.
But just wait though....KEEP THAT SAME ENERGY.— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) October 19, 2019
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!
— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) October 19, 2019
Having no support from your own organization is unfortunate
— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) October 18, 2019
Diggins-Smith first publicly revealed she was pregnant with her first child last October, almost two months after the Wings ended its 2018 season with a loss against Phoenix in August.
Diggins-Smith practiced with the Wings before the 2019 season started in May and expected to play but never did.
Team president and general manager Greg Bibb told the Dallas Morning News during the season that it was “100% up to Skylar” when she played. “We’re going to support her and her timeline and when she says she’s ready to go, we’re going to welcome her back,” he told the newspaper. She “needs to focus on getting herself healthy and getting her family situated and feeling good about all of that,” he added.
It’s unclear whether the talented guard, who’s a free agent, will return to the team next season.
Under the WNBA collective bargaining agreement, players who become pregnant under contract are to receive half their salary, and their medical expenses are to be covered by insurance, according to Yahoo Sports.
It wasn’t immediately clear what Diggins-Smith received. But she tweeted that she had “limited resources to help me be successful mentally/physically.” At the same time she was expected to “keep that same energy” on the basketball court, she added.
Neither the WNBA nor the Dallas Wings could immediately be reached for comment about Diggins-Smith’s complaints.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.