It isn't too often when you get to see WNBA players during the winter because of most players are overseas. Sports Illustrated released a video last week which features Tulsa Shock guard Skylar Diggins, Chicago Sky forward Elena Delle Donne, and Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird. In the video, they discuss what separates the league's superstars from other players in the league. You can watch the video which is embedded above, or click here.
If you don't have time to turn on the speakers on your phone or mobile device for a nearly three-minute long video, here are some things they talked about, nothing which appeared to be totally out of the ordinary:
- Diggins talked about her ability to draw fouls as one part of her game that sets her apart. She led the league in free throw attempts in the 2014 season and had a sky high free throw rate (40.4%) -- not to be confused with her free throw percentage, which was 84.2%. You can read more about Diggins' 2014 performance by clicking here, when she won the Most Improved Player award.
- Delle Donne said her height and perimeter skills help set her apart from other players in the league.
- Bird mentioned that mindset is what sets the superstars apart from the rest. In addition, she mentioned that the best players in the league still are effective, even when their shots aren't falling down.
All three players as you might expect complimented each other. Given that Bird is the oldest player of the three, both Diggins and Delle Donne mentioned that they looked up to her when they were younger.
Though the Sports Illustrated video has been well publicized this week, Diggins, Delle Donne, and Bird also did a group interview with Complex.com's Russ Bengtson last week. In this interview, they talked about the WNBA as a whole and their shoe choices. The YouTube video is embedded below:
One more thing to note: All three were together for photo shoots wearing Nike basketball gear, which sponsors them, and were wearing the same gear in both of these videos, so I'm thinking this has to be Nike related.
In conclusion, I'll talk about the one trait that separates WNBA superstars from the rest: name recognition. Basketball fans, even those who don't like the women's game know who Skylar Diggins, Elena Delle Donne, and Sue Bird are. It's essential that the WNBA have superstars be in the United States during the long winter and spring, because it's a momentum killer to what they do on the court. As always, it's great to see that three of the league's top stars are here in the States and keeping awareness of the league out there.