Thirteen years after she left Notre Dame for the WNBA, Skylar Diggins is on her way back to South Bend. She will not wear a uniform, and she will not play a minute. The Irish are days away from opening their season, and they are bringing home one of the program’s greatest players to stand beside head coach Niele Ivey on the sideline.

“All-American Skylar Diggins has been hired as an outside consultant serving as the Special Advisor to Niele Ivey. Diggins will serve Ivey and her coaching staff and be an off-the-floor mentor to student-athletes focusing on leadership, personal development, and brand building,” Notre Dame women’s basketball announced on X.

Diggins is not a coach and is not technically on the staff. So, what will she actually do?

On game days, Diggins is expected to sit on the Irish bench, both at home and away. Her role will remain the same during practices. She cannot give players on-court instructions. Instead, her advice will go to HC Niele Ivey and her four assistants: associate head coach Carol Owens and assistants Charel Allen, Carlos Knox and Jared Newson.

Off the court, she will mentor the players. Ivey said Diggins’ ability to motivate and inspire them will strengthen the team’s culture and help them grow. She also called Diggins’ loyalty to Notre Dame unmatched.

Brand building is one of the three areas Diggins will focus on. She brings plenty of experience in this department. She has built a brand beyond basketball through television work, time at ESPN, and appearances in Vogue and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

She will stay with the Irish until the Unrivaled season starts in early January. After that, she will leave to join her team.

“We are honored to welcome Skylar Diggins as our Special Advisor to the Head Coach! This is truly a legendary addition,” Ivey said in a statement.

Ivey and Diggins go back a long way. Ivey was an assistant under longtime coach Muffet McGraw and served as associate head coach when Diggins played for Notre Dame. McGraw trusted Ivey to recruit Diggins out of high school. McGraw has said it was Ivey’s first job on the staff.

That bond is evident in how Ivey talks about her. In 2024, Ivey said Diggins “changed our culture right from the beginning” when she stepped on campus.

The No. 13 Irish are coming off an Elite Eight run led by two-time ACC Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo. They open the season on November 1 against Villanova in Rome. Ivey is entering her seventh season as head coach. She led the Irish to the ACC Tournament title in 2024.

Some also see recruiting value in the move. Diggins brings a strong personal brand that could impress recruits. He noted that Notre Dame has not made a Final Four since the 2018-19 season. Bleacher Report added that more schools now use well-known alumni to attract talent in the NIL and transfer portal era. It also noted that the role could give Diggins coaching experience if she wants to move into coaching later.

To understand why Notre Dame wanted her back, look at what she accomplished in South Bend.

Diggins Built Her Legacy In South Bend

Diggins is a South Bend native. She led Washington High School to four straight state finals and won Indiana Miss Basketball as a senior before she joined Notre Dame. Washington won the Class 4A state title in 2007, her sophomore year.

At Notre Dame from 2009 to 2013, she led the Irish to three straight Final Fours and two national title games. The team won 130 games with her on the roster. She left as the program’s all-time leader in points and steals, and she finished with 2,357 points.

She was the Big East Freshman of the Year in 2010 and a two-time Big East Player of the Year. She won the Nancy Lieberman Award for the nation’s top point guard in back-to-back seasons and the first Dawn Staley Award in 2013.

Arike Ogunbowale and Hannah Hidalgo have since passed her career scoring total. Diggins has spoken to the Irish before. During a visit in the 2024-25 season, she told the players that a lot of people stand behind them.

She went third overall to the Tulsa Shock in the 2013 WNBA draft and became a seven-time All-Star, a six-time All-WNBA selection and an Olympic gold medalist. She has averaged 16.3 points and 5.3 assists in her WNBA career. This season with the Chicago Sky, she averaged 14.2 points and 4.9 assists in 19 games.

At 36, Diggins is still an active WNBA guard, and now the Irish will get her experience up close.