Overwhelming sense of gratitude accompanied Diamond DeShields' return to court with Sky

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Diamond DeShields was beaming Friday afternoon as she took shots with assistant coach Sydney Johnson after practice.

Her grin was hard to miss, and the laughter was audible as she worked her way around the three-point arc.

“Did you see the Euro step?” she asked Johnson, laughing.

Two days earlier, DeShields was back on the court — healthy — playing in her first real game in years. Of course, she played in two preseason games, but this was the first one that counted.

In 2022, DeShields played in 30 games for the Mercury, but she wasn’t at full strength. She was still experiencing numbness in her feet, a response to the surgery she had in 2020 to remove a grape-sized tumor from her spinal cord. It was also the beginning of cartilage issues in her knee that resulted in her missing the 2023 season.

On Wednesday night, DeShields reminded everyone of the All-Star-caliber player she once was.

“I was tired as hell,” DeShields told the Sun-Times. “But I was just happy to feel it. You know, to feel my heartbeat and take in that environment here.”

DeShields had 14 points, going 7-for-12 from the field, three steals and two rebounds. At one point in the Sky’s 87-79 loss to the Wings, DeShields broke out in transition past two defenders and under the rim for a reverse layup. It was evocative of the time when DeShields was regarded as the most athletic two-way shooting guard in the WNBA.

Every day, she said, she feels her game is coming back to her piece by piece.

“Now that I’ve recovered from [the nerve damage and knee pain], there are glimpses that I see and my coaches see,” DeShields said. “They’re very mindful to point them out to me because it’s a learning process, trusting yourself and trusting in my body’s ability to contort, move and adjust in space.”

Coming into the game, DeShields wasn’t sure how things would go.

The two preseason games admittedly were a challenge for her. She had seven points in the Sky’s 92-81 loss to the Lynx and four in their 101-53 victory against the Liberty.

“Getting in game shape is just different,” DeShields said. “So I wasn’t sure. I was just going to go out there and see where I could get to my spots.”

DeShields got to all of them. She cut defenders up in the paint and weaved through traffic on fast breaks. Three-point range was the only area in which she didn’t find her rhythm. She went 0-for-2 from deep.

Coach Teresa Weatherspoon has nicknamed DeShields the “Comeback Kid” because of her journey back to full health and her return to the franchise that drafted her. But DeShields is not fully back just yet.

Weatherspoon has her operating on a minutes restriction.

“It makes me happy to play her,” Weatherspoon said. “But [we have to] be strategic in what we do to make sure that she’s strong, productive and efficient down the stretch.”

When the game concluded, DeShields took to social media to share her gratitude for the moment “despite the loss.” She then enjoyed dinner with friends and family, including her older brother, Delino DeShields Jr., who had never been to one of her opening-night games.

Two days later, DeShields’ appreciation was still evident as she described what it meant to be back on the court.

“The fans cheering and having my teammates cheer me on, there’s nothing like it,” DeShields said with a smile. “I really, really missed those sounds and those feelings.”