It's another battle between motherhood and the WNBA.
Mercury star Skylar Diggins-Smith took to social media on Thursday to share that she hasn't been able to use any of the Mercury's facilities and resources while out on maternity leave.
The conversation began after fans noticed Phoenix failed to acknowledge the guard when she turned 33 years old on Wednesday.
Her response:
They’re not gonna acknowledge me this year and it’s ok guys. We’re not affiliated unless it’s the checks….per management. I can’t even use the practice facility or any resources. But I still love the X-Factor!! https://t.co/lcDb05fVVg
— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) August 3, 2023
Diggins-Smith missed the final stretch of the 2022 season for personal reasons, later announcing that she and her husband were expecting their second child.
She gave birth earlier this year, starting the WNBA season on maternity leave. She hasn't shared additional details about the birth, though it seems she has been working on her own to get back into playing shape.
Sadly, no…or any massage therapists, chiropractor, chefs, strength and conditioning, nutritionist accessibility, etc… they EVERY other player has access to.
— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) August 3, 2023
However I’m still down 48lbs on my own and I’m feeling great! 💪🏽 https://t.co/rRkJpIxysF
Arizona-based journalist Sarah Kezele tweeted that the reason Phoenix is barring Diggins-Smith from its facilities is not because of maternity leave, but because of her personal relationship with the team and tensions carrying over from last year.
Diggins-Smith called former Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard a clown online in response to Nygaard's comments about All-Star rosters, and she even got into it with Diana Taurasi at one point last season.
OK, some context:
— Sarah Kezele 🌵 (@SarahKezele) August 3, 2023
I'm told her lack of access to the team facilities and staff is related to her personal relationship with the organization at the moment, not the fact that she is on maternity leave. The visible tension from last year seems to have carried over to this year.
This isn't the first time this year that a player has found herself at odds with a team following the announcement of a pregnancy.
After Dearica Hamby was traded from the Aces to the Sparks in January, she claimed that she was sent to Los Angeles because she was pregnant.
"Being traded is part of the business. Being lied to, bullied, manipulated and discriminated against is not," Hamby said in a statement on Instagram. "I have had my character and work ethic attacked. ... I was accused of signing my extension knowingly pregnant. This is false."
The WNBA investigated Hamby's allegations, ultimately suspending Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon two games for violating the league's Respect in the Workplace policies. The Aces also had to forfeit a 2025 first-round pick.
How long is Skylar Diggins-Smith out?
There is no definitive timeline on Diggins-Smith's return.
Sophie Cunningham said that the team knows as much as the public does, per Just Women's Sports — which is pretty much nothing. Brittney Griner said that it's "a great question for the people above me."
Mercury general manager Jim Pitman answered JWS plainly when asked if he wanted to see his guard back in uniform this season: "She's on maternity leave right now."
Diggins-Smith told Essence in May that she's in no rush to return because there is no simple way to bounce back from pregnancy.
"Your body changes and everybody carries differently," Diggins-Smith said. "You just have to really sit back and realize what you've done, what your body has done. Give your body time to heal, give your body time to recover, give yourself grace during this time. It's a process."
Following this season, Diggins-Smith will become a free agent.
Do WNBA players get paid on maternity leave?
The league's most recent collective bargaining agreement, enacted in 2020, stipulates that WNBA players receive their full salary while on maternity leave, as well as a childcare stipend.
Teams are granted a maternity cap exception, allowing them to sign a replacement player if they don't have enough cap room.