5-Time WNBA All-Star Doubts if Hailey Van Lith Deserves to Be in WNBA

When Chicago Sky veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot suffered a torn ACL earlier this month, it meant that Sky rookie guard Hailey Van Lith (who has been Vandersloot's backup) would be thrust into a more expansive role with the team.

Van Lith addressed this when speaking with the media on June 10 by saying, "The best thing I can do is be excited for it. I think the most that I can battle and keep away the fear of the moment, and being scared of it, I think is gonna help me play free and play loose, and do what I do."

The former TCU star is currently averaging 5.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 14.8 minutes per game as a rookie. However, five-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA scoring champion Angel McCoughtry (who last played in the WNBA in 2022) is still unsure whether Van Lith deserves to have any role in the league at all, which she conveyed during her June 18 appearance on the Let Her Shoot! podcast.

"Hailey Van Lith, she's a decent player. Is there players out there [not in the WNBA] who may be better than Hailey Van Lith? I believe so. [But] they're not popular," McCoughtry said.

"If Hailey Van Lith had 10,000 followers, would she be in the league?... Honestly, if we just talk about her true talent, take away the followers, just from her talent right now, would she be in the league if she had 10,000 followers?" McCoughtry continued.

Both podcast co-hosts agreed that she would not be.