Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins had another great year in the WNBA. The 35-year-old earned her 7th All-Star Game appearance and averaged 15.5 points, 6.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while starting in all 43 games for the Storm. But despite his success on the field, his personal life was quite the opposite.
Diggins filed for divorce from her husband and former Notre Dame receiver Daniel Smith last March. She played the entire 2025 WNBA season, juggling her role as an All-Star point guard for the Storm and a full-time mother to her two children.
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Last Sunday, Smith posted a series of messages on his Instagram Stories to express his relief at having gotten through a difficult year.
“I’ve been doing everything BY MYSLF (sic) for over a year now”, Diggins wrote: by TMZ. “Just me and my babies (and my mom/dad’s help.) THAT’S ALL!”
The marriage is irretrievably broken
Diggins was a superstar basketball player for the Fighting Irish women’s team when she met Smith, who played wide receiver for the Notre Dame men’s soccer team. They dated while in college, got engaged in 2016, and married in Chicago in 2017. They have two children: a son named Rowen Seven, born in 2019, and a daughter, Ana Lia Irie, born in 2023.
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According to her divorce filing, the Smiths separated in November 2024, but the WNBA star didn’t file for divorce until four months later. It’s unclear what exactly caused their breakup, but according to reports, “the marriage is irretrievably broken“.
The document further stated that Smith was expected to contribute to child support by making payments for child care, education and post-secondary education expenses. However, Diggins claimed her ex-husband didn’t keep his promise.
“Working, paying the bills, being a present mother and battling many unknowns… God’s strongest soldier in 2025”, she added.
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Her husband says he is fighting for custody of their children
Meanwhile, Smith also posted on his IG account last week, and he revealed that he had been fighting in court to gain custody of their two children, but that the litigation was still ongoing.
“The last time I saw my son and daughter, my daughter said to me: Dad, what if I woke up and you were there. That day we played basketball, piano, and built Legos. I designed an abstract ladybug for my little girl and a polar bear fishing for my son. I have been pleading, ordering, and seeking custody since April 2025. Separation from my babies has never bothered me allowed. Things should have been settled by June 2025. Luckily, I’m a big guy, and I’ll be able to hold my babies for a long time wtf, dammit. Black-smith wrote while posting a series of photos of their children.
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A month ago, former NBA star Angel McCoughtry ripped Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr. for disrespecting women’s basketballtelling MPJ that being a WNBA star is harder than he thinks because not only are players focused on the season, but many are also full-time mothers and juggling parenting and basketball is no easy task, especially for single mothers. Just ask Diggins, who experienced all of this recently.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on December 31, 2025, where he first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as Favorite source by clicking here.
