Skylar Diggins-Smith, who played for the Lunar Owls in the Unrivaled league, was one of those who benefited from its first season.During the WNBA All-Star weekend, Diggins-Smith, who was on maternity leave in 2023, explained how the startup league helped her recover and get back into shape for the WNBA season.“Last year, I was coming off a maternity leave so I was using a lot of the season to get in shape in real time,” she said. “I knew I wanted to get more reps and when I saw the caliber of competition that participated in Unrivaled, I knew it was going to be some bump…It’s not a bad place to be in the offseason.”She also believed all the players who participated in the first Unrivaled season benefited from playing in the offseason league. The league itself is said to have a six-year $100 million media rights agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, according to Yahoo Sports.“Playing in the offseason was something new to me, but it was something we all benefited from,” she said before mentioning the All-Stars that played with her in the Unrivaled. “I see my teammate Alicia Gray, I see my teammate Napheesa Collier. I see my teammate Courtney Williams here.”Diggins-Smith was named a WNBA All-Star this season, averaging 17.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game before the All-Star break.She is leading the Seattle Storm in the first half of the season, recording a 14-9 slate to sit in the fourth seed.Skylar Diggins-Smith’s Lunar Owls dominated the Unrivaled regular season with a 13-1 record, but lost in the semifinals against Vinyl BC.Skylar Diggins-Smith hopes to see more growth for women’s basketballWith the rise of Unrivaled and the continued increase in popularity of the WNBA, Skylar Diggins-Smith hopes to see women’s basketball further expand with bigger investments in the future.In an interview with HyperBae in February, Diggins-Smith shared her belief that bigger things are yet to come for women’s basketball.“I said we’re at our peak, but honestly, we’re growing exponentially and we’ll be beyond that soon — that’s how I feel about our game," she said. "I want to continue to see the investment in women’s sports and women’s basketball rather than it being just a trendy thing. It’s not about being here for a short time but about creating something that lasts.” Skylar Diggins-Smith will be back in action for the WNBA regular season as she hopes to carry the Storm in its playoff push.