Hailey Van Lith Draws Negative Attention After Chicago Sky's Concerning News Against Fever
Hailey Van Lith Draws Negative Attention After Chicago Sky's Concerning News Against Fever originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Things went from bad to worse for the Chicago Sky on Saturday night as they hosted the Indiana Fever at United Center.
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The Sky lost one of their best players early in the matchup after veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot had to be carried to the locker room due to a concerning knee injury.
The five-time All-Star was unable to return to the game, which led to Chicago coach Tyler Marsh turning to rookie Hailey Van Lith to fill the void. The No. 11 pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft started for Chicago in the second half but did little to impact the game.
In the end, the Sky suffered an embarrassing 79-52 blowout loss to a Fever side that did not have the services of the injured Caitlin Clark.
Van Lith, in particular, drew criticism on social media following her performance against Indiana. The 5-foot-9 guard finished with seven points on 2-of-5 shooting, two rebounds, a steal, a block and three turnovers in a career-high 26 minutes of action.
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WNBA fans were not exactly impressed with what they saw from Van Lith.
"Can someone explain to me why Hailey Van Lith (HVL) is not on the Chicago Sky starting 5 ???????????? 😅😅" a post on X read.
"She can't guard a safe !!" said another.
"If there was a WNBA G League, Hailey Van Lith would be there," commented a viewer.
Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2) drives to the basket against Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson (51).Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
"Post those turnovers she had too lol," a user wrote, responding to a Van Lith fan account.
"Right she got man handled out there," agreed another.
"I don't like Hailey Van Lith's game man, Hope she proves me wrong but what I've seen isn't impressive," a reaction read.
There is still no official word from the Sky regarding the extent of Vandersloot's injury. However, it would not be surprising if the two-time WNBA champ is forced to miss time because of her knee problem.
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This will likely mean more minutes for Van Lith, with the 23-year-old potentially getting the nod to start if Vandersloot is sidelined. Should this become the case, Van Lith will get an opportunity to prove her naysayers wrong.
Related: Indiana Fever Make Kelsey Mitchell Announcement After Big Win vs. Sky
Related: Caitlin Clark's Big Flex After Fever's 27-Point Blowout of Angel Reese, Sky
Related: WNBA Makes Official Statement on Caitlin Clark in Fever-Sky Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
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