Phoenix Mercury player Skylar Diggins-Smith says the team has not allowed her to use its practice facility or many of its player resources this season while she is out on maternity leave.Diggins-Smith, 33, gave birth to her second child earlier this year, and is taking the current WNBA season off as a result.But on Thursday, the six-time WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist took to Twitter to air grievances with the Mercury, who she says are “not gonna acknowledge me this year.”“I can’t even use the practice facility or any resources,” Diggins-Smith, who has played in Phoenix since 2020, wrote in response to a fan.In another tweet, Diggins-Smith said she’s also been barred from using the team’s “massage therapists, chiropractor, chefs, strength and conditioning, nutritionist accessibility, etc…” which she said “EVERY other player has access to.”
WNBA Star Skylar Diggins-Smith on Feeling ‘Guilty’ Returning to Sport 9 Weeks After Welcoming Son
Skylar Diggins-Smith.
Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty
PEOPLE has reached out to the Mercury and the WNBA for comment. The Mercury’s interim head coach Nikki Blue was asked about it after the team’s win over the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night.
“Skylar is on maternity leave right now and as we do with players on maternity leave, we give them their space,” Blue said.
Diggins-Smith did not finish out the last WNBA season with Phoenix as well, leaving the team for personal reasons last August. “It was all good when I was leaving for personal time!!” she wrote in a separate tweet Thursday. “But when I’m leaving bc I was having complications and scared of risking my child….while leading the league in minutes [pregnant]. Trade her?”
Phoenix Mercury Star Skylar Diggins-Smith Calls Her Coach a Clown Over Diana Taurasi Comments
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Skylar Diggins-Smith.
Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty
The former Notre Dame star, who was drafted to the WNBA in 2013, has been outspoken about the obstacles mothers face as athletes.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE‘s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.After giving birth to her first child, Seven, in 2019, Diggins-Smith told Chris Paul during an appearance on his How I Got Here talk show that she felt “guilty” for returning to basketball too soon after her son was born.
“Nine weeks after I had him I was in practice. Physically, I felt fine but I was in this fog that I just didn’t understand what was going on,” the WNBA star said. “It was hard for me to explain my emotions. When you go through postpartum depression you kind of get this feeling like you’re the only one going through this and you don’t really wanna ask for help.”
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