Skylar Diggins-Smith Is More Than a Basketball Star

This piece is one in a series about unapologetic women whose hair makes a statement. Follow their stories here.

You could describe Skylar Diggins-Smith with a long list of awards and titles: she’s been named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and Indiana Miss Basketball, she’s a Boys and Girls Club “Alumni of the Year” and even has an Azealia Banks song named after her. She’s a two-time all-Star in her league with 1,500 career points to her name, and she’s a five-time USA gold medalist.

It’s easy to get lost in her list of accomplishments — but of course, Diggins-Smith is more than a list of accomplishments. She’s also a college graduate from Notre Dame, a volunteer with various organizations and basketball camps, a children’s book author, a model, and, a dedicated athlete. You can most often find Diggins-Smith working on her game, hanging out with her college sweetheart-turned-husband, Daniel Smith, or posing as a sports model (she appeared in the 2017 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue). Whether she’s sweating it out on the court or posing for the camera, Diggins-Smith is confident in her look — specifically her athletic build and her naturally curly hair — and in who she is. “The misconception is that you have to have long, straight hair to be pretty. My hair in its natural state is enough,” Diggins-Smith says.

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About the Director

Nia DaCosta is a writer/director based in New York City. Her first feature film, "Little Woods," starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James, is currently in post-production, and is a modern western about two women living in an oil boomtown in North Dakota.

DaCosta been supported by the Sundance Institute, New York Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Society and the Time Warner Foundation.