Yahoo Finance Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith ‘conflicted’ about playing in WNBA bubble
Skylar Diggins-Smith is happy to be playing with the Phoenix Mercury at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida — where the WNBA will hold its modified season this summer amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Something, however, is off.
Diggins-Smith, who missed all of last season with the Dallas Wings while pregnant, said she was “conflicted being here” in the bubble — but refused to elaborate on why.
“I haven’t really stopped playing basketball except for a little bit during the quarantine,” Diggins-Smith said, via ESPN. “But, yeah, it’s basketball. You know, it’s still round, and it’s still played the same way.
“I’m just happy to be here. I don’t really have much to say. I’m kind of conflicted being here. But I’m happy to be on this team, I’ll say that.”
Diggins-Smith was asked if she could provide more details, but simply said, “No.” She was also asked if her family was with her in Florida.
“That’s none of your business, I’m sorry,” she said, via ESPN.
Diggins-Smith averaged 17.9 points and 6.2 assists per game during the 2018 season for Dallas. The four-time WNBA All-Star and former No. 3 overall pick was traded to Phoenix in February after six seasons with the Wings organization. While she missed all of last year, Diggins-Smith did play with USA Basketball last winter.
Why is Skylar Diggins-Smith ‘conflicted’ about the WNBA’s bubble?
It’s not clear exactly what is conflicting for the 29-year-old, however it easily could be related to the coronavirus pandemic — which is still raging both in Florida and across the United States.
There were more than 3.2 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States as of Sunday afternoon, according to The New York Times, and nearly 135,000 deaths attributed to it. The country set a single-day record on Friday, too, recording more than 68,000 new cases.
Florida had more than 269,800 confirmed cases, the third-most in the country behind only New York and California, and set a state record on Friday with more than 11,000 new cases.
It could also have to do with the conditions in the WNBA bubble, which — as players pointed out on social media upon arrival — are far less accommodating than their NBA counterparts have at Walt Disney World near Orlando for their season restart. Players shared photos and videos of filthy laundry rooms with a mouse trap sitting out, a worm on the ground next to a bed, a shower tub that doesn’t drain, inedible food and more.
Or, it could be because the WNBA is playing its season during a massive social and racial justice push in the United States — which kicked off following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody in May. Several players have already opted out of the season in order to keep fighting for Black Lives Matter causes. The league has several plans in place to help players keep speaking out during the season, and Diggins-Smith has been involved in the “More Than a Vote” campaign, too.
“I don’t know what to say,” Diggins said when asked about her participation in social justice campaigns, via ESPN. “I mean, it’s non-whites being killed by policemen disproportionately.
“As a mother, as a Black woman, as a human being, it doesn’t sit right with me. It’s unsettling. I have a husband that is Black. I have a son that we’re raising that’s Black. So, obviously, everything that’s going on, the climate, I feel some sort of way about it.”
Regardless of her reasoning, Diggins-Smith is excited to get to play with the Mercury this season.
“We’re just trying like every other team to put the chemistry together on the floor,” Diggins-Smith said, via ESPN. “We have a great group, we have great personalities, very unselfish. Everybody seems to be getting along pretty well.
“This team has a lot of veterans on it. This is definitely the most veteran group I’ve been a part of. It was kind of seamless off the floor, so now we’re just trying to put it together on the floor in the time that we have. We’re not unique with that; I think all 12 teams are in a predicament, especially with all the moving around, and trades, and new players, young players mixing in. So everybody’s trying to figure that out right now, but I’m liking where we are.”
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