Latest news with #HaileyVanLith
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6 hours ago
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Former WNBA All-Star Reacts to Backlash After Hailey Van Lith Comments
Former WNBA All-Star Reacts to Backlash After Hailey Van Lith Comments originally appeared on Athlon Sports. In what has become a common trend across the WNBA, veteran or retired players have seemingly not been fans of the popularity of the incoming players. Advertisement Indiana Fever guard Catilin Clark caught the brunt of many criticisms last season, and over the past few days, Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith found herself catching a random stray. The shot that the No. 11 overall pick in this year's WNBA draft caught came via five-time WNBA All-Star, two-time WNBA scoring champion and six-time All-WNBA selection, Angel McCoughtry. When appearing on "Let Her Shoot" podcast, the former No. 1 pick insinuated that Van Lith, who has 1.3 million Instagram followers, made it into the league based on popularity, not merit. As one could imagine, her take was not well received and took plenty of heat online. On Sunday, a video of McCoughtry surfaced, as she issued an apology to Van Lith. Former UofL basketball player Angel Strupp/Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC "So y'all know one thing I ain't is a hater," McCoughtry said. "I ain't never hated on nobody, and those words they never come out my mouth. Now, my mistake I made was giving a point with the wrong delivery. I shouldn't have used a certain player (Hailey Van Lith) to make an example of a point I was trying to make. And I want to apologize for that, cause I was wrong. Advertisement "I can take accountability when I'm wrong y'all," McCoughtry added. "So I'm gonna apologize to Hailey for that. Because you worked hard for everything you got and you deserve it all, plus more." While it's unclear what McCoughtry's initial point was regarding Van Lith, the harsh take amassed over six million views on X. "If Hailey Van Lith had 10,000 followers, would she be in the league? Let me ask you that," McCoughtry said. "Honestly. We're just talking about her true talent. Take away her followers. Would she be in the league if she only had 10,000 followers?" On the year, Van Lith is averaging 5.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15.4 minutes of action per game. Assuming Van Lith was already more than motivated to perform, McCoughtry's take may end up fueling her even more. Related: Caitlin Clark's Personal Decision Turns Heads Before Aces Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
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6 hours ago
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Hailey Van Lith Breaks Silence on WNBA Legend's Disrespectful Social Media Comment
Hailey Van Lith Breaks Silence on WNBA Legend's Disrespectful Social Media Comment originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith was once a five-star recruit who, before being selected No. 11 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft, had a career season at TCU. Advertisement She led the Horned Frogs program to its first-ever Big 12 tournament title, first-ever Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and was also named an All-American. Despite her accolades and a stat line that saw her average 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game, former five-time WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry thinks Van Lith only got into the WNBA because she has millions of followers on social media. "If Hailey Van Lith had 10,000 followers, would she be in the league? Let me ask you that," McCoughtry asked earlier this month. While McCoughtry walked back those comments, Van Lith had yet to speak on the matter. That changed this week, as the Sky rookie addressed the comments on "In Case You Missed It" with Khristina Williams. Advertisement "You know, social media isn't real to me," Van Lith said. "It's virtual; it's digital; it's not physical, and so I don't respond. I don't address it. I have people bring things up to me about, you know, whatever the critics or the public may be saying in the moment. But at a very young age, I went on that I started that journey of, you know, being exposed to public opinion. And so, this is by far not the first time that this has happened, and it's just another, you know, it's just another one for me." Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2).Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Van Lith added that she is more focused on forgiving critics like McCoughtry, who may be spiteful or jealous. "It doesn't mean anything," Van Lith added. "And at the end of the day, if I call myself, you know, a woman of God, I have to carry myself, you know, according to those standards and, you know, forgiveness, mercy, love, grace. I know I sometimes speak on people incorrectly or out of spite or, you know, jealousy, and that's okay." Advertisement While she may be a rookie, the way she handled the situation was a veteran move. She and the Sky are set to take on the Golden State Valkyries on Friday. Related: Angel Reese Shares Exciting Update After Viral Joke This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith has standout game in Chicago's 1st Commissioner's Cup win
The post Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith has standout game in Chicago's 1st Commissioner's Cup win appeared first on ClutchPoints. Chicago Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith had a standout game that was critical in the team's first win in the Commissioner's Cup. The Sky are now 3-7 after the 78-66 victory over the Connecticut Sun. The headline performance was from Angel Reese, who became the second-youngest player in WNBA history to record a triple-double. Advertisement It was, however, Van Lith that led the team in points with a career high 16 on 6/8 shooting. The 2025 first-round pick out of TCU has gone through some expected growing pains early on in her first season. It's never easy for these athletes, in most cases, to go from playing college basketball to just a few years later competing at the professional level. But now the Sky need consistent production from the point guard position more than ever after the devastating injury to legendary floor general Courtney Vandersloot. And Van Lith delivered against the Sun, showcasing her offensive versatility throughout the contest. The Chicago Sky is very much a work in progress in 2025. While the team added some savvy veterans to the roster over the offseason, this team's success largely revolves around the continued development of Angel Reese and Kamilia Cardoso. Both of these young frontcourt players have had some terrific performances and struggled at times, especially against elite teams. Aside from an early-season loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, all of the Sky's defeats have come to teams expecting to make the postseason. But Chicago is not out of any playoff race yet, even though the team is eliminated in the Commissioner's Cup. The Sky currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference at 1-3, trailing the Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever, and New York Liberty by two games with one game left in the competition. The Sky additionally trails the Fever by two games for the eighth seed should the postseason start today. Advertisement The franchise missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2018 and is still in the middle of a rebuild. While there were some high hopes for this squad heading into 2025, the Vandersloot injury really hurts. The 36-year-old is one of the greatest point guards in league history and has an impact on this team that extends beyond the court. While Van Lith cannot replace Vandersloot, if she can provide a boost in her role off the bench, that will give Cardoso and Reese some much-needed help as they try to develop into reliable first and second options. Related: Sky's Angel Reese reveals change that helped her reach triple-double Related: Sky's Angel Reese makes 'unstoppable' declaration after 1st career triple-double
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Ex-WNBA star apologizes to Sky's Hailey Van Lith for crediting career to social media
The post Ex-WNBA star apologizes to Sky's Hailey Van Lith for crediting career to social media appeared first on ClutchPoints. Former WNBA superstar Angel McCoughtry landed herself in some hot water recently after making some bold comments about Chicago Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith. While appearing on 'The Daily W' podcast, McCoughtry was attempting to make a point about whether having or not having an online following makes a difference for current athletes. Instead, she had to take to Instagram to clarify her statements and apologize to Van Lith, claiming her thoughts were 'misconstrued.' Advertisement 'Just so y'all know, I know one thing I ain't is a hater. I ain't never hated on nobody, and those words ain't never come out my mouth,' McCoughtry's message started. She then went on to take responsibility for how she may have impacted Van Lith. 'Now, my mistake … was giving a point with the wrong delivery. I shouldn't have used a certain player to make an example of a point I was trying to make. And I want to apologize for that. I can take accountability when I'm wrong, y'all, so I'm going to apologize to [Van Lith] for that. You worked hard for everything you've got, plus more.' Initially, McCoughtry implied that Sky rookie Van Lith, who has 1.3 million Instagram followers after her time as a standout at TCU, might not have been in the WNBA if she didn't have as much attention on her from being an influencer. 'If Hailey Van Lith had 10,000 followers, would she be in the league?' McCoughtry asked the podcast co-hosts. 'Honestly. We're just talking about her true talent. Take away her followers. Would she be in the league if she only had 10,000 followers?' Credit: Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK Van Lith herself hasn't commented on any of the controversy, but Sky head coach Tyler Marsh did stick up for her production so far in the 2025 WNBA season and reminded the media that Van Lith is making a massive adjustment from starter to off-the-bench contributor for the first time in her playing career. Advertisement '[Van Lith]'s handled the minutes that she's had very well. She's handled the pressure well. She's been able to feel that presence when we needed her to, and she's been coachable,' Marsh told the Chicago Tribune. 'For us, it's been about continuing to find what units work the best together and have the most cohesion.' McCoughtry ironically has something in common with Van Lith, having also played NCAA basketball at Louisville. The Atlanta Dream then took McCoughtry No. 1 overall in 2009, and the two-time WNBA scoring champion and five-time All-Star ended her career with the Minnesota Lynx in 2022. Related: Mercury's Kathryn Westbeld reflects on rematch with sister Maddy before facing Sky Related: Sky's Angel Reese arrives in style for Mercury showdown
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Dearica Hamby gets brutally honest on reason for Sparks' struggles
The post Dearica Hamby gets brutally honest on reason for Sparks' struggles appeared first on ClutchPoints. Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby (5) during the first half at Wintrust Los Angeles Sparks' current losing streak hit four games, and they started off their current road trip at 0-2. One particularly concerning trend in those two road losses in particular was how the Sparks lost. Through the first three quarters of those two games, the Sparks have played well only to fall apart in the fourth quarter. For Sparks veteran forward Dearica Hamby, she believes she knows the reason as to why the team continues to have struggles late in games. Advertisement When the game gets tight in the fourth quarter and the opposing team starts making a run, Dearica Hamby feels like the Sparks' struggles are exacerbated by resorting to one-on-one play a little too often. 'Panicking. I don't think anybody has ill intention, but just trying to play hero ball. Obviously people have had success at it at certain points,' Hamby said following the team's recent loss to the Chicago Sky. 'We got to be more mentally tough to continue to play through that and continue to, like Coach [Roberts] said, do the things that were working in the first half and not resort to hero ball.' 'And quite honestly, we got to shoot better,' Hamby continued. 'We can't have our starting five at times, and it's not just this game, but continue to shoot not efficient shots.' During the Sparks' latest loss, 97-86 against the Sky, they held a 69-67 lead at the end of the third quarter before being outscored 30-17 in the final period. The previous loss, 82-66 against the Minnesota Lynx, they only trailed 57-54 heading into the fourth quarter before being outscored 25-12. Advertisement As the Sparks have struggled to maintain consistency throughout the season thus far, head coach Lynne Roberts believes some of the team's offensive woes late in games stems from their inability to get defensive stops in crunch time. 'We gave up 30 points, so it puts so much pressure on our offensive to make shots. We got to be able to get stops in the fourth quarter, same thing against Minnesota,' Roberts said. 'I think offensively, we got away from what was working, just too much one-on-one. We had a big lead, and it wasn't from going one-on-one. We've got to fix that and have some trust in the system and in each other and make sure we're getting great shots down the stretch.' The Sparks have one more game remaining on this current road trip, Thursday evening against the Indiana Fever. They will then return home on Sunday, June 29 for rematch against the Sky. Related: Sky's Angel Reese's heated exchange with Rickea Jackson nearly triggers fight
