Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins will miss the remainder of the WNBA season as she continues to recover from a lingering right knee injury, the team announced Tuesday.
"We're in full support of Skylar and want to make sure we are steadfastly prioritizing her health," Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said in a statement. "Skylar made a strong effort to get back to the court this season. She's been in constant communication with us through the entire process."
"I hadn't been feeling like myself out there," Diggins said Tuesday. "After we reevaluated, we just decided to scale back and shut it down for the season."
The Sky signed the seven-time All-Star to a two-year contract in April. She started 19 games for Chicago, averaging 14.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Diggins last played in a game July 3 -- a 19-point effort in an overtime loss to the Las Vegas Aces, before being moved out of the starting lineup in favor of Courtney Vandersloot.
Shortly after her demotion, Diggins disclosed that she had been playing through knee discomfort all season, saying that she was "sacrificing" her body, while suggesting that a lack of team resources may have contributed to her lingering knee issues.
Diggins was later ruled out for Chicago's July 7 matchup against the Phoenix Mercury and did not suit up again prior to Tuesday's announcement, which was arrived at after "collaboration and communication with Skylar and her team, Sky doctors, and the organization's medical staff," the Sky's statement read.
Despite the setback, Diggins believes she still has a "future with this organization."
"I haven't expressed any desire to not talk about me in a Chicago Sky uniform next year," she said while expressing the anticipated completion of the team's new practice facility.
"I'll be looking forward to it next year. We need resources ... and I think leading the league in injuries is not coincidental."
