There’s a serious rebuild going on at the Chicago Sky. Having turned over nearly 80% of their 2025 roster heading into this season, the organization is very much in the early stages of reconstruction. And in rebuilds, things don’t always go smoothly. But the media, as any veteran player will tell you, tends not to grade on a curve when results fall short of expectations.
Skylar Diggins, one of the key veteran signings brought in to anchor this new-look Sky, knows that reality all too well. So as she wrapped up her interview session at the Chicago Sky’s Media Availability day on Thursday, she had a simple request. “Be nice to us all damn summer and fall,” she said plainly. Rachel Banham, who has been around the organization considerably longer, also chimed in with her own addendum: “And be nice to Tyler and Jeff, they’re the best people ever.”
The appeal for a little media grace isn’t without context. The Chicago Sky’s last two seasons have been difficult viewing. A 13-27 record in 2024 followed by an even grimmer 10-34 campaign in 2025. And playoff appearances were nowhere in sight in either year. Back-to-back losing seasons of that magnitude tend to sharpen the critical lens considerably, and the Sky are walking into 2026 fully aware of that weight.
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Their offseason activity has only amplified the spotlight further. The organization underwent sweeping changes, headlined by the departure of Angel Reese, a move general manager Jeff Pagliocca framed as a strategy to “achieve roster balance,” but one that drew significant criticism from fans and analysts alike. And if that wasn’t enough to invite scrutiny, the Sky have now opened the preseason with two consecutive losses. That gives the skeptics early ammunition heading into a season where patience may already be in short supply.
Skylar Diggins, who has been in the league since 2013 and joined the Sky from the Seattle Storm, understands exactly what that means. She knows the preseason losses carry little real weight, but she also knows the honeymoon period won’t last forever. “We understand it’s the honeymoon phase still. When we start the games, it might be a little more intense up here,” she acknowledged.
And yet, when asked what it means to carry such heavy leadership responsibility in a young locker room, Diggins made clear that outside narratives won’t be driving her. “You want to stay on people’s good side, especially you people,” she said to the media with a knowing tone. “You want people to write nice things and stuff like that. But I stopped caring about that and really just live in that passion of loving the game.” It’s the response of someone who has been around long enough to know that chasing favorable coverage is a distraction, not a strategy.
What is driving her, and the team as a whole, is something more concrete. “We wholeheartedly want to compete the best that we can to get back to where we want to be,” Diggins said. The vision, she explained, has been clearly laid out by the people at the top. “Jeff really put that vision out there. What he and Tyler were thinking for this team and what they wanted for this team,” she said of GM Jeff Pagliocca and head coach Tyler Marsh.
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So, the Chicago Sky clearly have a plan, a goal, and the veteran voices to help carry a young roster toward it. Skylar Diggins and Rachel Banham are simply asking for a little room to let that plan breathe. That’s a fair request by any measure. But in a results-driven league, with two losing seasons already in the rearview and a fanbase hungry for something to believe in again, the media’s patience tends to be directly proportional to what happens on the court. The Sky have their vision. Now they just have to show it.
Skylar Diggins Embraces Leadership Role as Chicago Builds Toward the Future
Having completed 11 seasons in the WNBA, Skylar Diggins arrives at the Chicago Sky carrying exactly the kind of credential a rebuilding program needs. The organization knew precisely what they were getting when they brought her in. And head coach Tyler Marsh made no secret of it. He explicitly called her a “true veteran leader” who “elevates everyone around her.” He also noted that her work ethic and standard of success are critical ingredients for a roster that went through a complete overhaul in the 2026 offseason.
And Diggins has embraced that charge without hesitation. “Being in the league so long, you see what you get out is what you put in. And that’s what I try to teach the younger players. Just show them how I show up and why I’ve been here so long. And so that’s what I hope to bring to the table here,” she said.
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What makes her embrace of the role even more meaningful is that she doesn’t see it purely as an obligation. For Diggins, it’s also a privilege. Being in an environment where her voice is genuinely valued, where her experience is sought rather than merely tolerated, is something she doesn’t take for granted. “I’m excited to still have the opportunity to be somewhere where my opinion still feels like it is cherished,” she said.
Long before Skylar Diggins-Smith became a WNBA star, she was just a South Bend kid who grew up watching Notre Dame and dreaming of wearing that jersey. When she finally did, she didn’t just fit in, she became the heartbeat of the team, leading them to Final Fours and setting the tone every night. That’s what has always made her special: not just the numbers, but the way she instills confidence in everyone around her.
At the same time, she hasn’t lost sight of the responsibility that comes with that influence. “But also understanding you got a lot of young people that look up to you. And so I’m trying to be a good girl.” For a Chicago Sky team betting heavily on growth and culture, having a leader who is as mindful of her example off the court as she is driven on it may turn out to be one of the most important pieces of the rebuild.
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