WNBA DRAFT
Hailey Van Lith has an impressive resume. She’s led three different teams to the Elite Eight in five years and picked up an Olympic bronze medal in the women’s 3×3 basketball tournament at the 2024 Paris Games.
Now, she can add WNBA player to the list. Van Lith was selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky. The Sky previously selected Slovenian forward Ajša Sivka with the 10th overall pick.
Van Lith burst onto the scene at
Louisville, where she played for three seasons (2020–2023). She led the Cardinals to the Elite Eight (2021, 2023) and the Final Four (2022) and picked up first-team All-ACC honors twice (2022, 2023) during her three-year stint. Van Lith transferred to the reigning national champion LSU Tigers in April 2023 for the 2023-24 season, but the fit didn’t pan out well. She experienced a dip in scoring volume and efficiency, posting a career-low shooting percentage (37.8%) and averaging 11.6 points per game, an eight-point drop from her 2022-23 season average in Louisville (19.7 pts).
Van Lith’s performance with the Tigers drew criticism, with some questioning if her game could translate to the WNBA, but the 23-year-old silenced critics during her renaissance season at TCU. Van Lith was named the Big 12’s Player and Newcomer of the Year after averaging 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists, while shooting a career-high 45.9% from the field. She powered the Horned Frogs to their first regular-season title, first conference tournament title and first Elite Eight appearance, while smashing program records. She set TCU’s single-season record for points scored (680 points) and single-season assist record (204 assists).
HAILEY VAN LITH: Makes Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut
WOMEN’S SPORTS: The latest news and insider insights from USA TODAY Studio IX.
NCAA: What Van Lith’s dad texted her before TCU’s loss in Elite Eight
Hailey Van Lith career stats
Here’s what Van Lith averaged in 173 career collegiate games — which marks an all-time women’s NCAA record for games played — followed by her 2024-25 stats at TCU in parenthesis:
- Points: 15.2 (17.9 ppg)
- Field goal percentage: 42.2% (career-high 45.2%)
- Rebounds: 4.1 (4.6 rpg)
- Assists: 3.4 (5.4 apg)
- Three point percentage: 33.8% (33.8%)
- Free-throw percentage: 84.0% (82.7%)
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
