Hailey Van Lith entered the WNBA as the eleventh pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. The Sky have struggled all season long, and Van Lith didn’t have an established role on the roster at first. Courtney Vandersloot’s ACL injury pushed her into a bigger role. Against the Connecticut Sun, Van Lith had the best game of her young career, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, and one assist.
Nevertheless, not everyone has been impressed with Van Lith’s play so far. Former WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry questioned Van Lith’s legitimacy and place in the league, arguing that her popularity online played a role in her journey to the W.
“Hailey Van Lith, she’s a decent player, right? Is there players out there that may be better than Hailey Van Lith? I believe so. They’re not as popular,” McCoughtry said on the Let Her Shoot! podcast. “If Hailey Van Lith had 10,000 followers, would she be in the league?”
With those comments, McCoughtry completely disregarded Van Lith’s hard work and talent.
Reducing Van Lith to her online popularity isn’t fair
Hailey Van Lith had a long college career. She played five seasons at Louisville, LSU, and TCU. She won a national championship with LSU but still decided to play another season and boost her draft stock. It worked. Van Lith had a career year at TCU, blossoming as a playmaker and almost single-handedly carrying her team to its first Elite Eight appearance.
The Chicago Sky drafted Van Lith with one of their two first-round picks because they needed a young guard to develop alongside Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. Van Lith was definitely one of the best guards available late in the first round. She can provide offense for a team in need of more scoring and make plays for her teammates. Van Lith may not be a great starting-level point guard right now, but she certainly has a place in the WNBA. Not every rookie thrives right away.
The 23-year-old has put in the work, playing well in college and representing the U.S. in international competitions. Saying that she only made the WNBA because of her popularity online simply isn’t fair. McCoughtry threw Van Lith under the bus instead of addressing the real issue. Yes, some talented players are not in the WNBA right now. The reason for that isn’t that Van Lith stole someone’s spot due to her popularity. There just aren’t enough roster spots for all the talent in the women’s game.
If McCoughtry is upset about deserving players not being in the WNBA, she should address that instead of reducing a young player trying to find her footing in her rookie season to her online following.