Skylar Diggins is the very personification of the word “intensity.” On the court, it’s made her one of the WNBA’s most feared and respected guards. Off it, that same fire is now fueling her through one of the most challenging chapters of her life.
The Seattle Storm star recently drew attention with a stark, deeply personal message on Instagram, where she described herself as “God’s strongest soldier” amid an ongoing divorce from her husband, former Notre Dame football player Daniel Smith.
Diggins’ biting words landed with weight, not just because of their vulnerability, but because they pulled back the curtain on a year Diggins says she has largely navigated on her own.
Skylar Diggins scorches her estranged husband
“Been doing everything BY MYSELF for over a year now,” Diggins wrote to her one million Instagram followers, according to The Daily Mail, adding that she relied on help from her parents. “Working, paying the bills, being a present mother and battling through a lot of unknowns… God’s strongest soldier 2025.”
Diggins and Smith married in April 2017 and welcomed two children during their marriage. In March, reports surfaced that Diggins had filed for divorce, with claims that the couple had separated months earlier, in November.
Observant fans had already begun to connect the dots: around that time, Diggins requested that media members refer to her simply as “Diggins,” dropping the hyphenated “Diggins-Smith” she had used for years.
Diggins kept her marriage private until recently
While Diggins has largely kept the details of the split private, her recent post suggests a period defined by self-reliance, emotional strain, and the logistical reality of balancing elite-level basketball with motherhood. For a player long celebrated for her toughness, the message reframed strength not as swagger or bravado, but as endurance.
That endurance has been tested on multiple fronts. Diggins returned to the WNBA spotlight this season not only as an Olympic gold medalist and six-time All-Star, but also as a veteran navigating a league in the midst of explosive growth and heightened scrutiny. With new eyes on the WNBA — many drawn in by rookies like Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark — every on-court moment now seems to reverberate far beyond the final buzzer.
One such moment thrust Diggins into an uncomfortable viral storm. During a game between the Storm and the Fever, Diggins appeared to bump into Clark after the buzzer as Clark celebrated a win with home fans. Clark barely reacted, continuing her celebration unfazed.
Diggins torched for alleged ‘cheap shot’ on Caitlin Clark
Online, however, the reaction was immediate and unforgiving.
Social media critics labeled the contact a “cheap shot,” accusing Diggins of jealousy and bitterness toward Clark’s meteoric rise. The narrative spread quickly, flattening a complex, emotional season into a single clip and a set of assumptions.
For Diggins, it was another reminder of how little room elite women athletes are given for context. A competitor known for her edge, she suddenly found herself cast as a villain at a time when, by her own account, she has been quietly carrying immense personal responsibility behind the scenes.
Yet if her Instagram post is any indication, Diggins is not interested in pleading her case to the court of public opinion. Instead, she seems focused on survival, stability, and showing up — both for her children and for herself.
In calling herself “God’s strongest soldier,” Diggins tapped into a familiar cultural shorthand, one that mixes humor, faith, and fatigue. It’s the language of someone who knows the fight isn’t glamorous, but keeps going anyway.
For a player whose career has been defined by resilience — through injuries, league battles, and now personal upheaval — that may be the most honest description yet.