
via Imago
Credits : Imago

via Imago
Credits : Imago
Hailey Van Lith’s story isn’t the fairytale kind; it’s far more human than that. From the outside, she was the sparkplug guard at TCU, sharp handles and sharper elbows, but behind the highlight reels… “I was younger and in college, I struggled with suicidal thoughts and was heavily medicated,” she said. However, she leaned on the notion that God wasn’t done with her yet. As Van Lith put it, “Coming from that place to where I am now is incredible. He has taken me from despair to a place where I truly love life. Even if I lost basketball today, I would still cherish these people.” That’s someone who’d already made peace with walking away from the very game she’d built her name on.
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But the funny thing is that instead of taking basketball from her, life gave her more of it. Just months after stepping into the pros, Hailey Van Lith confirmed in exit interviews that she’ll suit up for the second season of Unrivaled (the 3-on-3 league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart). So now she stands in a place few imagined when she was at her lowest: soon to be a part of two professional leagues… And you know what that means: double the spotlight, double the platform, and yes, double the earnings too. Let’s dive into it-
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What is Hailey Van Lith’s Net Worth?
Hailey Van Lith’s bank account has been doing its own kind of fast break. With a net worth estimated between $1 million and $5 million as of early 2025, Van Lith has quietly built herself into one of the most financially savvy young stars in women’s basketball.
The seeds were planted back in Wenatchee, Washington, where talent and tenacity first put her on the map. But the real financial boom came with the NIL era. According to On3 Sports, Van Lith’s NIL valuation clocks in at $758,000. It’s good enough to land her at No. 5 among women’s college basketball players.
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And here’s where she separates herself from the average “athlete gets endorsement check” narrative: Van Lith wanted the knowledge. “I wanted to understand my own money,” she told Overtime in Day in the Life with Hailey Van Lith at TCU, explaining her choice to pursue a finance degree. It was about making sure the business side matched the discipline she carried onto the court.
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Hailey Van Lith’s Salary and Contract Breakdown
The Chicago Sky have locked Hailey Van Lith into a professional career, pen to paper and checks in the bank. On April 14, 2025, she heard her name called at pick No. 11 in the first round of the WNBA Draft. Ten days later, she signed the deal that made it official.
The numbers: A 3-year, $227,657 contract. Nothing life-changing by NBA standards, sure, but in the growing world of women’s basketball, it’s the foundation of both security and leverage. That breaks down to an average annual salary of $75,886, with her rookie year setting the tone at a base salary of $72,455, it’s the exact figure also counting as her cap hit for Chicago in 2025. Here’s all details-
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Is Hailey Van Lith's journey proof that mental strength is as crucial as physical talent in sports?
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2025 | 23 | Unprotected | $72,455 | $72,455 | $72,455 | – | $72,455 |
2026 | 24 | – | $73,905 | $73,905 | $146,360 | – | $73,180 |
2027 | 25 | – | $81,297 | $81,297 | $227,657 | – | $75,886 |
2028 | 26 | Club Option | $81,297 | $81,297 | $308,954 | – | $77,239 |
A look at Hailey Van Lith’s College and Professional Career
At 5-foot-9, Hailey Van Lith stormed into Louisville as a high school phenom out of Cashmere, Washington. There she once dropped 52 points with 12 threes in a single game and averaged 33.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists her senior year. At Louisville, she kept that fire, and led the Cards straight to the 2021 Final Four. She even joined Caitlin Clark as the only Power Five players to average at least 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
But after a rocky 12-loss 2023 season, she sought fresh air, transferring to LSU and Kim Mulkey’s reigning champs. The fit was bumpy and even her numbers dipped to 11.6 points and 3.6 assists. On top of that, guarding Caitlin Clark in the Elite Eight left her under the microscope. Still, Van Lith had a steady response. “I would rather be known as a winner than a scorer.”
Her final collegiate stop came at TCU. Over there, she rediscovered her rhythm and posted 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.2 steals in 35 minutes a night while leading the Frogs to the Elite Eight. Along the way, she sharpened her game in 3×3, earned a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now, as a first-round pick of the Chicago Sky, Van Lith has been a part of the WNBA as a playmaker, and a player whose growth is undeniable!
A look at Hailey Van Lith’s Brand Endorsements
Back in 2021, when few athletes were testing the waters, Hailey Van Lith landed a deal with Dick’s Sporting Goods. She teased it with a simple TikTok captioned “@DICKS Sporting Goods.” It was a quiet flex that only signaled just how marketable she was about to become.
By 2022, Adidas came calling. As part of its campaign celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the brand signed 15 student-athletes, Van Lith included. She proudly showed off Louisville-themed Ultraboosts, and tied her game to a cultural moment… The endorsements didn’t stop there though. She jumped into collaborations with Overtime and Billionaire Girls Club, and modeled hoodies and crop tees for International Women’s Day.
Then, when she transferred to LSU, she kept the business momentum rolling by linking up with the Tiger NIL store through Campus Ink to sell licensed LSU apparel, including her own jersey. By 2024, Adidas spotlighted her again as its NIL network ballooned past 12,000 participants, It is a nod to the fact that Van Lith was one of its recognizable faces…
Hailey Van Lith’ Assets
When it comes to material possessions, not much is publicly known about her assets. But what we do know paints a picture of someone refreshingly grounded. As, during a lunch meeting with publicist Alyssa Romano for Overtime’s Day In The Life With series, their conversation drifted toward financial management.
Romano offered a simple piece of advice: “Saving tips… well one, don’t spend all your money. Also, like have a rainy-day fund. God forbid something happens and you can’t pay rent or whatever, always have three months’ rent saved in an account that you can touch.”
Van Lith’s response showed just how level-headed she is about money: “That makes sense too, because I even have had little things happen with my car. And I’ll look at the bill and I’ll be like ‘This is way more expensive than I thought it would be.’ So I’ll like refrain from actually getting it fixed because it’s a lot of money. So I feel like that would be a situation where I could use that.”
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She even admitted the temptation of bigger purchases, but with a dose of pragmatism: “Of course I want to buy a brand-new car. I want to upgrade. But if I went out and bought a new car, that would be a huge expense for me and it’s gonna bring nothing back. So it’s just not a wise spend for me at this moment in my life.”
In other words, Hailey Van Lith is building stability and making sure her financial life is as disciplined as her game.
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"Is Hailey Van Lith's journey proof that mental strength is as crucial as physical talent in sports?"