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Skylar Diggins Moved to Bench by Chicago Sky After Public Protest

The change has exposed internal tension and could force roster decisions ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

Overview

  • Skylar Diggins confirmed Monday that the Sky told her she would come off the bench and posted “Now I’m coming off the bench?????? Cool” on Instagram before speaking to reporters.
  • Head coach Tyler Marsh defended the move as a coach’s decision and said conversations with Diggins would remain private.
  • The Sky placed Diggins on the injury report with a right-knee issue and she was ruled out of the next game, which Chicago won 77-66 with Courtney Vandersloot starting.
  • Reporting and analysts link the lineup change to Vandersloot’s return from an ACL and to the challenge of fitting three veteran ball-handlers—Diggins, Vandersloot and Natasha Cloud—into one rotation.
  • The benching adds to a pattern of roster churn, injuries and broken promises about team resources—including a delayed Bedford Park practice facility—and has raised growing speculation that Diggins could be a trade candidate if the situation does not stabilize.