“On the court, my body is completely healthy, I’m in great shape and I’m feeling very confident in all the things I bring to the table, whether that’s shooting, whether that’s playmaking, whether that’s the style of defence that I’m taking as an approach, just feeling ultra confident in the things that I do well and going into whatever training camp may bring next WNBA season for me.
“I think that that’s the best-case scenario and I’m very hopeful that the best-case scenario will be what comes of it in the end.”
On some level, venturing down to New Zealand is a surprising chapter in Van Lith’s journey.
An impressive showing on the court in her time at Cashmere High School in Washington State saw her emerge as a five-star recruit for collegiate programmes – ranked by many media outlets as one of the top-10 prospects in the country.
The southpaw combo guard’s game continued to trend in the right direction through college – her first three years at Louisville before transferring to Louisiana State University, then completing her final year of eligibility at Texas Christian University.
Van Lith’s star rose both on and off the basketball court during her collegiate years, with the young star building a large social media following and landing brand partnerships including being one of the first 15 female college athletes signed as brand representatives by Adidas. She was also part of the USA team selected to compete in the 3×3 basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games, finishing with a bronze medal.
By the time she declared for the 2025 WNBA draft, Van Lith had long been a familiar name in sporting households, and, selected with the 11th pick of the draft by the Chicago Sky, it seemed she would have every opportunity to continue to make her mark on the basketball court.
Ankle injuries plagued Van Lith’s rookie season in the WNBA to the point where she was shut down over the last seven games of the campaign. In 29 appearances, she put up modest stats, reflecting limited minutes on court, before getting surgery on her right ankle in the off-season.
Hailey Van Lith played for the Connecticut Sun in the 2026 WNBA. Photo / Getty Images
Her rookie season would be the only opportunity afforded to her by the Sky, who waived her just a few days before the start of the 2026 season. ESPN reported the Chicago outfit moved on from Van Lith as she did not fit the style the coaching staff wanted to play.
The 25-year-old was signed off waivers by the Connecticut Sun – the team’s last year in the league before relocating to Houston. She teamed up with New Zealand WNBA rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker.
After nine appearances, Van Lith was waived again on May 28, but re-signed with the team on a development deal for the rest of the season two days later. While she was also upgraded to a seven-day contract in late August as teammate Leila Lacan was unavailable due to FIBA World Cup commitments, Van Lith played a further 12 games for the Sun, the most allowed for a player on a development deal
“I think the most challenging part of it is that it’s been almost the complete opposite of what I envisioned it being when I was young and I used to think of what I thought my career would look like,” Van Lith said of her basketball journey to date.
“It’s [as] far as you could get from that, just from all the unexpected things that have happened, like me transferring and then me transferring again and getting drafted to who I got drafted to, having the injuries – there’s been a lot of things that weren’t planned in my head. That’s not how I envisioned it.
“So just dealing [with] and managing those expectations of what I thought it would be, but then also realising that the only thing I can control is the present and what I have now is what I have to work with. I think the things that I never planned on happening that have happened and addressing my mindset to get me to a place where I can continue to push forward even though it looks different than I always thought it would.”
Ultimately, Van Lith made 21 appearances with the Sun in the 2026 WNBA campaign, showing improvements from her rookie season across the board.
Now, she looks to continue that trend a long way from home, again teaming up with Leger-Walker for the Porirua-based Queens.
Hailey Van Lith and Charlisse Leger-Walker will both play for the Tokomanawa Queens in the Tauihi Basketball League. Photo / Getty Images
“We both didn’t know and we kind of were like, ‘Wait, I think we’re about to be on the same team.’ So we really didn’t know. It just happened that way and then we were like, ‘Oh yeah, this is going to be fun’,” Van Lith said.
“Charlisse was someone that I had bonded with and had a good relationship with even at Connecticut. I know she had told me that she was going to go home to New Zealand and play, but I honestly didn’t even think of it.
“It was a no-brainer opportunity that came to me when I started looking overseas and then I was like, ‘Wait, maybe I’ll play her, maybe I’ll play against her.’ Then I told her what team I was on, she was like, ‘I’m on that team.’ It was just one of those where it was so funny and kind of a coincidence. I’m super excited to get to be her teammate this season.”
The Queens made a big splash signing the Connecticut duo as they look for a better finish to their campaign after being bounced out in the semi-finals of last year’s competition as the top seed.
While they missed the first game of the season due to their travel schedules, both Leger-Walker and Van Lith are expected to be available for the side’s clash against the Mainland Pouākai in Porirua on Sunday evening.
“[It’s] just a good opportunity to play, just get a lot of reps and get in a flow and play with other high IQ players who can help me get better but also just allow me to build some consistency on the floor was really like the appeal of the opportunity,” Van Lith said of the factors that went into her decision to join the team.
“And obviously coming to a country like New Zealand was a no-brainer. Like, the quality of life here is going to be incredible, which you don’t get with a lot of other overseas opportunities. I think just coming to a league that’s competitive but my teammates also play at a high level, and I can just get a lot of reps in and start building a new identity for myself.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.