The story appeared in the May 23 WNBA magazine of ESPN magazine.
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Sitting at a booth at an empty restaurant near Manhattan\'s West End Highway, SKYLAR digins talks about a topic that any woman who spends her time online is very familiar with: the male troll.
Of course, the difference between Dikins and most women is that she has more than 600,000 fans on Twitter and nearly 1 million fans on Instagram, which is more than any other female basketball player on earth.
More important than WNBA.
So, when she says she\'s not bothered by the man\'s rude behavior towards her online, I believe in her.
But that doesn\'t mean she ignored them.
\"I stopped people,\" she said with a smile . \".
\"I\'m like Dikembe Mutombo.
\"I asked if people would give her crap in real life.
\"Fans rarely come to me and say \"--
She imitated a rude male voice. -
\"Dikins, I think your shorts should be a little shorter.
She put her arm on the party.
\"No one came to me and said that.
\"He was a little fidgety when the waiter approached and I was wondering if he wanted to put her there. At only 5-foot-
9. it is not obvious that Dikins is a professional basketball player, let alone WNBA. Star.
She was wearing a hoodie and leggings, light makeup (
She just left a picture)
Her hair was pulled into a low and smooth ponytail.
The waiter ordered her food. -
Turkey Burger and salad next to it-
Then paused and cleared my throat a little.
\"Well, are you Skylar digins? \"She nods. \"I am. \"\"You are!
He said there was a feeling of relief in his voice.
\"I recognized you right away. I\'m a fan.
\"I appreciate it, man . \"
\"What\'s your name? \"\"Johan. \"\"You hoop?
He smiled shyly. \"I dabble.
\"It\'s great,\" she said with joy.
Dikins\'s character is cool, so when she smiles it\'s like a ray of light passing through stained glass, it\'s a shift.
She herself is very beautiful, with the eyes of a hood. -
People like sharp cheekbones and lips in Beverly Hills.
These have nothing to do with Skyla Dikins. -the 25-year-
Old point guard shooting from 3-45%
Before tearing up her ACL last year, the terrible competitor told her Alumni Magazine: \"I lead with fear rather than love.
\"But it\'s definitely related to the brand\'s Skylar digins.
Since signing the Republic of China with Jay Z in 2013--
She is the only female client of the Sports Bureau. -
She has done deals with brands such as Nike and bullet-proof clothing, appeared in swimwear releases for fashion and Sports Illustrated, and in MTV\'s Wild N\' Out
She is the advertiser\'s dream, the kind of celebrity to test on a poll chart.
\"She is a relative. She\'s cool.
She is relevant, \"said Michael yomak, president of the Republic of China.
\"Her market is very good.
\"However, athletes Skyla Dikins play in the WNBA, which means that unlike Selenas and Sharapova,
Every four years)
Few people in the world watch her do what she is best.
Her fame is not a side effect of her labor, but is passively spreading to millions of people at night through their television sets.
Instead, her brand is a project. -
A job she showed in court with the same intensity.
She must work in this area.
After Dikins left the restaurant, the waiter John told me that he recognized her from watching her match in college.
Dikins led the Virgin to two NCAA championships.
Although she lost both times, she graduated as a career scoring leader for the program.
I asked him if he had seen her play in the WNBA.
\"Which team is she in? \" he replies.
\"I don\'t even know. \"IT\'S 7:30 A. M.
In a park north of Dallas, families flocked there, where Dikins led a parade.
The city recently adopted her team, Tulsa Shock, and renamed it Dallas wing.
She\'s only been here for a few days and has made many public appearances ---
A uniform unveiling ceremony, a draft conference, a basketball training camp.
Near the entrance to the park, when Dikins was interviewed by a local television anchor, a small group of people gathered to watch in the hot weather.
\"I think it\'s great that you are an example,\" the reporter said . \" The blonde woman has a strong Texas accent.
\"You don\'t see clearly in this era.
\"Dikins jumped on her feet and put his hands into her warm pocket --up pants.
\"I think it must be a territorial issue,\" she replied . \".
She glanced at a little girl standing a few feet away from the camera, showing a shy awe.
The child\'s mother pushed forward.
\"She is eager to see you,\" she said . \".
Dikins motioned the girl to come over and pull her in to take pictures.
\"Are you coming to some competitions?
\"She asked, both ambassadors. \"I hope so.
After the interview, Dikins walked to her entourage.
Her boyfriend Daniel is a tall graphic artist who plays football at the University of Notre Dame. (
Whenever Daniel-
Or she called him \"dear\"-
A female fan of Dikins commented on her Instagram: \"target. \")
There was a crew shooting her short film for Jay Z\'s music streaming company Tidal.
Two of her coaches. -
Her Aunt Mona and Mona\'s fiance Rick
One of her agents, Jana Fleishman of a national of the Republic of China, lingered nearby.
She had never represented an athlete before she accepted Dikins as a client.
She has been in charge of Jay Z\'s publicity work for more than a decade.
Dikins browsed her various social media accounts and then recorded the group for selfies.
During the course of the day, she will take some photos and videos and post some photos and videos online.
She is not precious about it;
I have never seen her check her appearance or make-up in advance.
But she is purposeful and careful in the way she plans her public image.
Dikins learned the lesson very early.
In 2011, when she was a sophomore, Wayne tweeted before the last four games: \"For my wife Skylar digins and the Irish in battle
She replied jokingly, \"Haha, thank you, Wayne ! \"
Good luck to my husband!
\"The University of Notre Dame shocked UConn that day;
Dikins scored 28 points, beating Maya Moore and Wayne of the year (
Later appeared on stage in one of her jerseys)
On her Twitter again.
So is singer Chris Brown.
The public image of Dikins exploded.
She had 5,000 fans at the start of the competition.
By that autumn, she had more than 100,000.
She is still a college student, but she is also a phenomenon.
The women\'s games in Notre began to surpass men;
The school added a safety detail to track the team on the road.
After the Irish team lost to Texas A & M in the 2011 final, she was watched by the media for leaving the field before shaking hands after the game and returned to the dressing room in tears.
\"I don\'t know if I like to win more than hate losing,\" she said . \".
A few months later, a nude photo of a woman who looks like Dikins was posted online, which reportedly prompted Notre\'s lawyer to stop publishingand-desist letters.
When I asked her about it, she was silent for a minute and finally replied, \"there is no reason to solve such a thing.
\"When Dikins returned to the championship in the second year, this time lost to Britney greenner and Baylor, she took care of her attention and always quickly reflected the spotlight to her teammates
But there is no denying her star status.
After graduating from college, she signed a contract with Jay Z\'s sports agency.
At that time, there were only two clients in the Republic of China: Robinson Kano and Victor Cruz.
It was an easy decision, she said: \"Everything that Jay came into contact with turned into gold.
Later, when he gave her a shiny white Mercedes as a graduation gift, Dikins wrote on Twitter, \"I had 99 problems, but Mercedes was not a problem.
\"Since then, she has appeared where you don\'t usually see the WNBA stars: Grammy Awards, Fashion Week, BET 106 and Park.
When Kanye West performed last year at the City of the Republic of China classic, she hosted the show with the Republic of China National athlete Kevin Durant and New York radio host Angie Martinez.
Drake posted a series of her photos on Instagram, with a slightly creepy title, \"Amen\", who performed a short play with the singer at 2014 ESPY Awards.
\"These are all things that we do strategically to enable her to raise her profile,\" Yormark said . \".
In addition to the deal with Nike, Dikins also worked with Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Sprint.
She is developing a children\'s book and a documentary, both of which will be published this year.
He wants to see her enter the beauty and automotive industry, says jormark. (
The Republic of China refused to speak out about the value of ludidkins. )
He took pains to stress that Dikins had a broad appeal and noted that with Nike, she released a training app and promoted sports bras and headscarves ---
Fitness accessories are not just basketball equipment.
Jomarc explained that the goal of the Republic of China is to make her audience more than the number of people watching the WNBA.
\"We think she can go beyond the sport.
\"Skyla Dikins played very, very good basketball.
Given the above honors, this should be clear now, but worth repeating, because when we see a beautiful female athlete on the cover of a billboard or magazine, we are used to wondering why she is there.
We are taught not to give (to women)
With both hands.
After a slow rookie season in Tulsa, Dikins broke out in 2014.
Her players have improved their efficiency to 21 points. 3 (
League 10)
She is 20 years old on average.
1 point per game, second only to Maya Moore.
One of her teammates, Pearson, said Dikins was very good at reading defense.
She remembers a game last season when the point guard urged her to hand over the pass as soon as she got it, which surprised Pearson by creating a layup opportunity.
\"Skyla has a high IQ in basketball,\" she said . \"
\"She has always been a great armor-piercing,\" said Greg Bibb, the general manager of the winger, \"but she added an additional threat: she can build on a more consistent basis
Bibb said: \"In the 2015 season, Dikins played at the MVP level.
Then, at the end of June, after scoring a season, Dikins crashed in just 44 seconds in a game --high 31 points.
A few days later, she was shocked to announce that her ACL was torn.
Over the next few months, she recovered at the Notre Dame hospital near her childhood home in South Bend.
When asked about it, she joked: \"Let\'s not talk about it anymore . \".
Now that she\'s standing up, she can\'t hide what she\'s suppressed.
Even in this charity event, cheer up.
We were together, raising a big purple flag, and Dikins trembled as we were passed by our jogging dad and children in roller skates.
\"We can get this done and run it,\" she told me . \".
She took off a few seconds later.
Even though Dikins was injured, said Bibb,
Her contract at March was canceled. brainer.
\"The way she approached her recovery and brought herself back to that level was really impressive ---
\"Her work ethic is elite,\" he said . \"
He did not hesitate to add that while \"public awareness of her and her brand\" would certainly help the team, the decision to extend Dikins \"was entirely based on basketball.
\"It is undeniable that the alliance is still looking for effective marketing information.
The WNBA needs stars to attract people to the game.
But the same players need the league to keep them relevant.
\"If you\'re a professional basketball player and people don\'t watch basketball, it\'s limited,\" said Matt derzer, general manager of marketing . \", A negotiating endorsement for companies such as AT&T and Unilever.
His company commissioned a weekly survey to measure perceptions of celebrities and found that although Dikins scored extremely high in categories such as attractiveness and trust (
Next to NFL star J. J. Watt)
Her popularity is very low.
\"She is seen as an aspiring person, but she has not yet reached it,\" Del Zell said . \".
Dikins explained that the alliance\'s push for recognition was hampered by logistics.
Because this season only lasts for a few months, many people spend the rest of the year overseas.
\"The money is there,\" she said . \"
\"But when a person is not here, it is difficult for them to approve the product.
\"Before she was injured last year, Dikins planned to play in China for several months.
She was thinking about it again, although she said it was important for her to spend part of her offseason in the United States. S.
Focus on her team, her new city and her business.
Last year, WNBA legend Cheryl swop told esp northwest that while Dikins was clearly good for the game, she \"had to start doing more for the league.
\"But this criticism is difficult to coordinate with the point guard\'s activities off the field.
During the day I saw her at least a dozen times in tweets, photos and casual conversations.
Pearson said that while Dikins is famous, she puts the game first: \"She knows that basketball is why she came here.
\"Dikins says she cares about the development of the WNBA, but she refuses to think that its survival depends on her shoulders.
\"We can\'t just--
\"There\'s a lot of pressure,\" she said.
\"It will make your personal life better.
I will at least join this alliance by 2019, right?
Maybe five years after that.
Maybe a year later, I\'m done. Then what?
\"When her game was over, she wasn\'t sure what she was going to do, but she thought it would be something in the business area.
Inspired by her recent meeting with Magic Johnson, she admired moguls.
Dikins is learning to start a business in college. -
From the time she creates her own social image to the sponsor she chooses to work ---
She is eager to use these lessons.
When I asked her what kind of company she wanted to build, she gave me a No. it-obvious look.
\"I\'m my brand,\" she said . \"
Later that night, at the basketball stadium in UT Arlington, Dikins was filming an advertisement for a sports drink called \"body armor. (
Kobe and Harden are also spokesmen. )
She went to the dressing room to do her hair and make up.
Dikins said she didn\'t mind paying attention to her looks, but it annoyed her when she was considered an exception to some unwritten biological rules.
\"You don\'t look like a basketball player\"-
What does this mean?
What should basketball players look like?
\"I asked Dikins why she used the label BATB that represents beauty and the Beast.
\"Most of the time, they don\'t talk about female athletes ---
\"They didn\'t show us that there were both,\" she said . \".
\"But you can do both.
You can be a woman and a beast on the court.
You don\'t have to choose.
\"When the makeup artist applied false eyelashes, Dikins pulled up the tide on her mobile phone;
Beyonce\'s Formation is the first track to appear.
\"I asked her if she had heard the Azealia Banks song named after her and she sneered.
\"I\'m glad I\'m one of the people she likes. \" (
The bank is a well-known combative. )
When I mentioned the name of another rapper Game
Fleishman showed her two songs and turned out the lyrics on her phone.
\"There is a team full of chickens, I will not give up the name;
They all play like girls who play for the University of Notre Dame.
What\'s her name?
Skyla Dikins, that\'s right. . . Dikins laughed. \"I made it!
\"Today\'s commercial advertising will only run online;
Dikins has not yet appeared in an important television campaign.
She has more deals than the average WNBA player, but her portfolio dwarfs her male rivals.
She sees this inequality as a challenge.
Another game she can win.
She told me that she met with some agents before she signed up with Roc Nation and they told her that her prospects as a spokesperson were limited due to her movement.
\"All you can do is play basketball,\" she said, with anger flashing through her voice.
\"A big company will talk to me like this, which is too crazy for me.
\"The pop-up ad focuses on Dikins\'s work after work, a glimpse of the lonely grind necessary for greatness.
After playing more than a dozen shots, Dickins prepared cones for the ball. and-
Try to play three long-
Shooting range continuously.
When she missed one, her mouth was distorted by frustration, and she whispered something.
On her second attempt, she made another brick and shouted.
It wasn\'t until she made a mistake again and held her hands in the air that I realized that Dikins was not acting ---
She was driven so ruthlessly and so focused on winning the game, both in the game and after the game, she was very concerned about taking a picture of no meaning and the only witness was her
Dikins rotated towards the corner we were looking.
\"Can you guys go out?
\"We all jumped up and hurried to the door.
No one said a word.
A few minutes later, Dikins jumped out of the gym with a ball in one hand.
She walked past us, toward the exit, and we waited.
Eventually, she came back.
The group quietly entered the weightlifting room, where the photographer will be filming another set of sequences, with Dikins sitting on the bench.
When she stretched out, I approached her anxiously and asked, \"did you do it?
She looked up and smiled.
It is this smile that Wilks competitors and fans click \"follow\", which can sell cars and sneakers and anything with or without a price tag.
This is a sincere smile, because it is created by a long walk and sweat.
It was a smile and said: Yes, I did.