Why Skylar Diggins-Smith joining Unrivaled Basketball League matters

The list of WNBA stars slated to participate in the Unrivaled Basketball League continues to grow. On Thursday, the league’s official social media accounts announced that Seattle Storm point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith will head to Miami during the WNBA offseason to participate in the brand-new 3x3 league for the sport’s top players.

Unrivaled is set to launch in January, run for 8 weeks, and include 30 of the WNBA best players — 17 of whom have already been announced. The league was founded by stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, and offers a minimum salary of $100,000, along with player equity. It will include six teams with five players each, and 3x3 games will be played on a compressed full court for four quarters.

Diggins-Smith is a six-time All-Star (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) and has been named to the All-WNBA team six times as well. She’s one of the few veteran stars who have historically not played overseas during the WNBA offseason. For her career, she’s averaged 16.4 points and 5.1 assists per game.

This season, she’s averaging 13.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. The Storm are 19-11, good for fourth overall in the WNBA standings. Earlier this week, Diggins-Smith blasted her team’s effort in a loss to the Mystics.




https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/2024/8/29/24231463/skylar-diggins-smith-unrivaled-basketball-league-seattle-storm-wnba-offseason-veteran