Hailey Van Lith’s WNBA wish comes true in Chicago: ‘Deep in my heart, I wanted to come to the Sky’

Hailey Van Lith will begin her WNBA journey with the Chicago Sky, which is something she was secretly hoping for on draft night. 

“I had a few great conversations (with the Sky’s front office). Deep in my heart, I wanted to come to the Sky,” she said during a press conference on Thursday. “…I felt a ton of alignment and I felt like they saw who I was as a player. And I felt valued, so I was hoping that I was available when Chicago’s picks came. 

“You never want to put too much expectation or hope because you never know what will happen on draft day, but deep in my heart I was really hoping that.”

Van Lith had an outstanding college basketball career as she played for Louisville, LSU and TCU while becoming the first player ever to reach the Elite Eight with three different programs. 

She was selected No. 11 overall by the Sky on Monday and will officially reunite with former LSU teammate Angel Reese, a first-round pick by the Sky last year. Van Lith only spent one season at LSU and it was clear that wasn’t the best fit as she moved on to TCU. However, Reese showed excitement for the opportunity to play together again. 

“We ain’t do it right the first time. Let’s run it backkkkk,” Reese said on social media.

Van Lith will also be playing alongside former South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso. She and Reese were known as the “twin towers” for the team last season, and now Chicago is adding a promising young guard in Van Lith.

“I love playing with size — it makes my job a lot easier,” Van Lith said. “I can’t wait to get to play with Angel and Kamilla. I played against Kamilla a lot of times, but never with her. That will add a youthful flair and some fun energy.”

The Sky will begin their 2025 WNBA season with a road matchup against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on May 17.