Skylar Diggins-Smith reveals her 'Welcome to the WNBA' moment in Angel Reese's 'Unapologetically' podcast

Skylar Diggins-Smith has played in the WNBA for 12 years. Amid the highs and lows of her storied career, she has never forgotten her "Welcome to the WNBA" moment.

On the latest episode of the "Unapologetically Angel" podcast released on Tuesday, Diggins-Smith shared the story with host Angel Reese.

"The one that got me was Ivory Latta," Diggins-Smith recalled. "We were playing (the Washington Mystics) in the opening game and, you know, you just be feeling yourself. 'S***, I'm out here too!' And she cooked me. She just cooked me."

Although the Mystics were the second team Diggins-Smith faced during her rookie season — she debuted against the Atlanta Dream in 2013 — her memory of Latta’s performance was unmistakable. Latta scored 27 points to lead Washington to an overtime win against Diggins-Smith’s Tulsa Shock.

According to Diggins-Smith, she had to quickly move on from the loss to Washington, as she faced another elite point guard, Cappie Pondexter, just four days later.

This led to a conversation between Reese and Diggins-Smith about the intense competition in the WNBA, a hallmark of the league even today. When Reese noted that WNBA players "couldn't be mad" about getting outplayed because they had to immediately focus on the next matchup, Diggins-Smith wholeheartedly agreed:

"You go from BG (Brittney Griner) to Nneka (Ogwumike) to A'ja (Wilson) oto Phee (Napheesa Collier). It's just like, oh my gosh," said the six-time All-Star.

Despite their friendly conversation on the podcast, Diggins-Smith and Reese will find themselves on opposite sides of the court when the 2025 WNBA season tips off.

Skylar Diggins-Smith compliments Angel Reese on her rebounding

For what it’s worth, Diggins-Smith made sure to give Angel Reese her flowers for excelling in one specific area during her rookie season: rebounding.

Reese averaged 13.1 rebounds per game in 2024, a stat line unmatched by WNBA stars like Wilson, Collier and Tina Charles. During the podcast, Diggins-Smith praised Reese’s relentless work on the glass.

"You can do too much passing, too much shooting, too much dribbling...ain't no coach gonna tell you, you did too much rebounding," Diggins-Smith said. "You have a knack for the ball, and you always have."

Though Reese and Diggins-Smith will likely battle physically during box-outs in their first Chicago Sky-Seattle Storm matchup of 2025, their mutual respect is undeniable.