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 successful as she was on the court, her personal life was the complete opposite off of it.
Diggins filed for divorce from her husband and former Notre Dame wide receiver, Daniel Smith, last March. She played the entire 2025 WNBA season, juggling her role as the Storm’s All-Star point guard with being a full-time mom to her two children.
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Last Sunday, Smith posted a series of messages on her Instagram Stories to express relief that she made it through a rough year.
“Been doing everything BY MYSLF (sic) for over a year now,” Diggins wrote, per TMZ. “Just me and my babies (and the help of my mom/dad.) THAT’S IT!”
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 football team. They dated during their college days, 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 did not file for divorce until four months later. It’s unclear what caused their breakup, but according to reports, “the marriage is irretrievably broken.”
The document further stated that Smith was supposed to contribute to child support by making payments for daycare, education, and post-secondary school expenses. However, Diggins claimed that her ex-husband did not fulfill his promise.
“Working, paying the bills, being a present mother and battling through a lot of unknowns… God’s strongest soldier 2025,” she added.
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Her husband says he is fighting to gain custody of their children
Meanwhile, Smith also posted on his IG account last week, and he revealed that he has been fighting in court to get custody of their two children, but that the litigation is still ongoing.
“Last time I saw my son and daughter, my daughter said, daddy, what if I woke up and you were right here. That day we played basketball, piano and built legos. I designed an abstract lady bug for my baby girl and a fishing polar bear for my son. I’ve been litigating, ordering and asking for custody since April 2025. Separation from my babies has never been okay with me. Things should have been settled in June 2025. Luckily, I’m a big guy, and I’ll be able to hold my babies for a long time. Ready 2026 wtf, god damn,” Smith wrote while posting a series of photos of their children.
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A month ago, former NBA star Angel McCoughtry shredded Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr. for disrespecting women’s basketball, telling MPJ that being a WNBA star is tougher than what he thinks because not only do female players focus on the season, but many are also full-time moms and juggling parenting and playing basketball is no easy task, especially for single moms. Just ask Diggins, who has been experiencing all that recently.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
