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Report: Chicago Sky waive Hailey Van Lith

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko05/04/26nickkosko59

The Chicago Sky waived guard Hailey Van Lith, per Meghan L. Hall of USA Today. Van Lith was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

She played 29 games last season, coming off the bench, and averaged 12.4 minutes per game. Van Lith averaged 3.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and shot 33.9% from the floor.

Van Lith was well-traveled in her collegiate basketball career. She played for Louisville (2020-23), LSU (2023-24) and TCU (2024-25) before going pro.

Van Lith was the Big 12 Player of the Year while with the Horned Frogs in 2024-25 and was the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. However, her collegiate success did not translate into her rookie season.

“When I was like a sophomore, I was like, ‘Who would ever take their fifth year? Like, why would anyone want to be in college for five years?” Van Lith said of her college career. “Well, that’s funny because here I am in college, my fifth year,” said Van Lith. “But, it was, it’s been, man. It’s been, certainly, a journey and nothing I expected. It was hard. It was a lot of nights of being like, I feel like God has put this thing on my heart to be great but it’s not working out right now. And, a lot of times, I had to look at myself in the mirror and just be, like, ‘What do you want, Hailey? Like, what, who are you?’ – and I’m grateful for it.”

A popular player in the college women’s basketball space, Van Lith starred on and off the court before going to the WNBA. She was even selected for last year’s SI Swimsuit edition.

Funny enough, Van Lith wasn’t the only large change to the Sky’s roster prior to the 2026 WNBA season. They also traded forward Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream for a couple of first round picks.

Reese is entering her third season in the WNBA. She’s earned WNBA All-Star honors in each of her first two seasons. Reese averaged 14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game last season, while shooting 45.8% from the field and 18.2% from beyond the arc.

She’s led the WNBA in rebounding in both of her seasons in the league. Now, she’ll aim to boost the Atlanta Dream to championship contention.

The Dream posted a 30-14 regular-season record last year, but ultimately fell to the Indiana Fever in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. With Reese down low, the Dream will look to win their first WNBA championship in organization history.