Haley Van Lith’s Draft Night Nightmare: Reunited With the Teammate She Tried to Escape

Draft night is supposed to be the crowning moment in a young athlete’s career—a celebration of hard work, dreams realized, and the bright promise of what’s next. But for Haley Van Lith, the 11th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, it looked more like a personal horror film unfolding in real time.

As NBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced her selection by the Chicago Sky, the cameras zoomed in on Van Lith. While most prospects break into joyful tears or beam with pride, Van Lith’s expression told a different story. It wasn’t nerves. It wasn’t shock. It was sheer panic. A look that said, “How is this happening to me again?”

Because it wasn’t just about being drafted. It was about where—and with whom.

She was about to be reunited with Angel Reese.

A Reunion Nobody Asked For—Especially Not Van Lith

For those who haven’t followed the Van Lith-Reese saga closely, here’s the context. The two shared a backcourt at LSU during the 2023–2024 NCAA season. On paper, that sounded like a dream team. In reality, it was a chemistry disaster.

Van Lith, previously a 19.7 points-per-game star at Louisville, saw her production nosedive to just 11.6 points per game at LSU. She went from offensive centerpiece to afterthought—often seen parked at the three-point line, waving for passes that never came, as Reese dominated the paint and the spotlight.

The fit was awkward, the system didn’t work for both, and Van Lith eventually did what any elite athlete trying to salvage their trajectory would do—she transferred. TCU became her fresh start, and she immediately looked like herself again, averaging nearly 18 points a game and regaining her identity as a scoring threat.

And then came draft night, where fate—or misfortune—put her right back beside the one teammate she worked so hard to distance herself from.

The Face That Launched a Thousand Tweets

Social media didn’t miss a beat. The clip of Van Lith’s stunned reaction instantly went viral, spawning reaction memes, threads of concern, and one-liners like, “She cut the cancer out and it came right back.”

The moment Chicago picked her, the emotions played out on her face like a slow-motion trainwreck. You could almost see the thought process unfold:

“Wait… Chicago…”

“…Angel Reese plays there…”

“No way.”

And sure enough, minutes after the pick, Angel Reese tweeted:
“We ain’t do it right the first time… Let’s run it backkkk.”

For Reese, it was celebration. For Van Lith? A nightmare come true.

This Isn’t Drama—It’s Data

The concern isn’t just emotional—it’s empirical.

Louisville (pre-Reese): 19.7 PPG

LSU (with Reese): 11.6 PPG

TCU (post-Reese): 17.8 PPG

That kind of statistical swing isn’t just bad luck—it’s the sign of a poor on-court dynamic. Elite players usually maintain consistent production across systems. But in Van Lith’s case, the numbers plummeted the moment she shared the court with Reese, only to bounce back when she left.

This isn’t speculation. It’s math.

And that’s why so many fans—and analysts—are worried. Because careers in the WNBA are short, unforgiving, and driven by stats. If Van Lith’s production drops again like it did at LSU, it won’t just be a bad look—it could cost her minutes, roster security, endorsements, and trajectory.

Different Energies, Same Team

The personalities of the two players couldn’t be more different.

Reese thrives on being the moment. Loud, confident, and dominant, she knows how to own the spotlight. Meanwhile, Van Lith is a cerebral competitor, focused, intense, and at her best when she’s running the show, not playing off someone else’s energy.

This reunion, then, feels less like a collaboration and more like a power imbalance. Reese’s enthusiasm, especially her tweet, came across to some fans less like “we’re teammates again” and more like “I’m still the alpha.”

What Now? Trade Talk, Coaching Challenges, and the Unknown

Some fans immediately called for a trade—before Van Lith even puts on a Sky jersey. Others held out hope that Chicago’s coaching staff would intervene, structure the offense to give Van Lith the freedom she needs, and avoid falling into the LSU trap all over again.

But that’s a big ask.

Unless the Sky have a clear, intentional plan to make this duo work—and not just coexist but thrive—they risk repeating the exact dysfunction that derailed both players’ chemistry last time.

Because make no mistake: Van Lith rebuilt herself after LSU. She bet on herself, transferred, thrived, and re-entered the spotlight. This draft pick just dropped her back into the environment she fought to escape.

And that’s why she looked sick.

The Crossroads of Her Career

Van Lith now faces the toughest challenge of her young career—not a defensive scheme or a shooting slump, but a test of mental fortitude.

Can she assert herself within a system that once muted her? Can the Sky find a way to let both her and Reese succeed without one suffocating the other? Or will Van Lith be forced to grit her teeth through another season of standing in the corner while someone else hunts for headlines?

The cameras may have stopped rolling, but her draft night expression will follow her into training camp, preseason, and possibly the entire rookie year.

This story isn’t over.

It’s just getting started.