Now more than ever, girls and especially ones of color, have different societal pressures and external forces constantly telling them they have to act, look or dress a certain way. Unfortunately, they are inundated with these pressures in ways that many young boys never have to face.
Dallas Wings guard Skylar Diggins wanted to bring up some of these important issues in a new three-part documentary, “Little Ballers Indiana,” that she helped executive produce for Nick Sports alongside director Crystal McCrary, rapper Lupe Fiasco and former NBA player Amar’e Stoudemire. The documentary premieres March 3rd, 4th and 5th on NickToons.
This documentary is a spinoff from the first “Little Ballers”, which aired two years ago and was centered on an all-boys AAU team from Brooklyn. They decided to shift the focus to an all-girls squad for the second installment.
The project follows the Sky Digg AAU basketball squad a team of 11-12 year-old high-energy and talented ballers from South Bend, Indiana. Although their success and failures on the court are part of the narrative, the life lessons the girls take from their experience are significant as well.
“I think a lot of important topics were discussed that a lot of young ladies may struggle with,” Diggins told The Shadow League. “Self-esteem, confidence body image those things were covered in the film.”
One of the prime examples of this in the documentary was the story of Amiyah.
She suffers from vitiligo, which is a condition that results in the depigmentation of the skin. But when she’s out on the court, she gains confidence and is not thinking about that.
“When I play basketball, I really kinda forget about everything else,” Amiyah says in one of the episodes.
Amiyah is just one of a number of girls highlighted in the film. The players come from different backgrounds and have different family situations, but what brings them together is their joy for the game.
“The common denominator that they have when they get on the floor is their passion for basketball” Diggins said.
And the most powerful part about it is seeing young girls feeling more empowered and confident in themselves by playing a game they love.
