\u201cOn the court, my body is completely healthy, I\u2019m in great shape and I\u2019m feeling very confident in all the things I bring to the table, whether that\u2019s shooting, whether that\u2019s playmaking, whether that\u2019s the style of defence that I\u2019m 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think that that\u2019s the best-case scenario and I\u2019m very hopeful that the best-case scenario will be what comes of it in the end.\u201d <\/p>\n
On some level, venturing down to New Zealand is a surprising chapter in Van Lith\u2019s journey. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
The southpaw combo guard\u2019s game continued to trend in the right direction through college \u2013 her first three years at Louisville before transferring to Louisiana State University, then completing her final year of eligibility at Texas Christian University. <\/p>\n
Van Lith\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Ankle injuries plagued Van Lith\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
Hailey Van Lith played for the Connecticut Sun in the 2026 WNBA. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
The 25-year-old was signed off waivers by the Connecticut Sun \u2013 the team\u2019s last year in the league before relocating to Houston. She teamed up with New Zealand WNBA rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker. <\/p>\n
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 <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the most challenging part of it is that it\u2019s 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,\u201d Van Lith said of her basketball journey to date. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s [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 \u2013 there\u2019s been a lot of things that weren\u2019t planned in my head. That\u2019s not how I envisioned it. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
Ultimately, Van Lith made 21 appearances with the Sun in the 2026 WNBA campaign, showing improvements from her rookie season across the board. <\/p>\n