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The first-ever game in Unrivaled between the Lunar Owls BC and the Mist ended dramatically, thanks to Skylar Diggins-Smith. The Seattle Storm point guard iced the game with a three-point shot over a defender and won the game, 84-80. She ran across the court and was chased by her teammates.
However, a flurry of reactions flew in from across the social media sphere. One person said “SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH CALLS GAME AND IS TALKING HER TALK. UNRIVALED IS REAL HOOPS.” The new 3×3 league has taken the WNBA, and the basketball world by storm.
36 of the top players in the WNBA have been invited to participate. However, it remains a challenge for some being away from their families. For instance, Diggins-Smith was 100% real about being a mom in the WNBA. Although it was during the offseason, she never played in the offseason.
Even with lucrative opportunities overseas, Diggins-Smith remained committed to staying in the United States. That, combined with her former teammate, Brittney Griner’s wrongful detainment, only heightened her reasons to stay in the country. Fast forward to Unrivaled, and she’s showing her All-WNBA ability once again.
Skylar Diggins-Smith puts Unrivaled on the map with a game-winner
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While the league itself has positive attention, Diggins-Smith’s shot once again proved that women’s basketball has some elite talent. Before she signed with the Seattle Storm, the former Notre Dame basketball standout was elite with the Phoenix Mercury. In the 2022 season, the same year Griner was wrongfully detained, Diggins-Smith put the team on her back.
As a result, they made the playoffs for an 11th consecutive season. For the current Storm point guard, she made the 2022 first-team All-WNBA for her performance. Not to mention, she was the only guard in the league to average one block and one steal per game. Mind you, she’s 5’9, while others in the position are nearly 6’0.
Furthermore, her performance highlights a much broader question about the WNBA. Currently, Unrivaled has many amenities and has the saying “built by players for the players.” Some of the features that the league has, not even the WNBA itself has. As a result, players are hoping that Unrivaled could put pressure on the WNBA to make some of those necessary changes.
Consistently close games will showcase the abundance of talent in women’s basketball. The exclusive promotion, as well as promoting players will only gravitate people closer to the league. Although it’s only the first game of the season, Diggins-Smith did more with that shot than the league could’ve ever asked for.
