Chicago Sky shut down Skylar Diggins for remainder of 2026 WNBA season due to right knee injury
The Chicago Sky have ended Skylar Diggins' season due to a right knee injury after she appeared in just 19 games in her first year with the franchise. Diggins, signed as a marquee free agent to a two-year, $1.8 million deal last offseason, averaged 14.2 points and shot .392 from the field, her lowest production since 2016. The team is 15-25 and has been eliminated from playoff contention.
The Chicago Sky have shut down Skylar Diggins for the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season, ending her first year with the franchise after she appeared in just 19 games due to a right knee injury, according to Yahoo WNBA.
Diggins, 36, was the Sky's marquee free-agent acquisition last offseason, signing a two-year, $1.8 million deal. The shutdown signals the end of a disappointing inaugural campaign marked by on-court struggles and institutional friction.
In her 19 appearances this season, Diggins averaged 14.2 points, her lowest output since 2016, and shot .392 from the field, per Yahoo WNBA's reporting. In July, the Sky benched her due to performance issues. After the benching, she did not return to action and instead missed time with the right knee injury. Diggins expressed frustration over the benching decision on social media, according to the reporting.
The injury prevented the Sky from trading Diggins during the season at a point when, per Yahoo WNBA, there was noise the team could look to deal her at the deadline. If Diggins proves fully healthy during the offseason, the Sky could look to trade her to another franchise, the reporting indicates.
Chicago finished 15-25 and has been officially eliminated from the postseason. According to Yahoo WNBA, Diggins' performance was far from the only reason the team struggled; systemic organizational problems compounded the roster's results.
Skylar Diggins, the Sky's marquee free-agent signing last offseason, has been shut down for the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season due to a right knee injury after appearing in 19 games.
The Sky's offseason roster decisions will center on whether Diggins can return to health and whether Chicago can find a trade partner willing to absorb the remainder of her deal. Her physical status during the coming months will determine whether the franchise can recover any value from the signing.
The score is a fact. The story gets checked.
Sources
Single-source report. As published, only Yahoo Sports had reported this development. No independent outlet had corroborated it.
Also reported by Chicago Sun-Times, The New York Times, Complex, Chicago Tribune. Independent coverage of the same development, found by search; not this story's sources.
GoCheckMySports reports events. It never advises bets. Nothing here is betting or gambling advice.