$1.1 Million NIL valued Hailey Van Lith debuts as Sports Illustrated Swimwear digit cover model

Hailey Van Lith becomes the latest women's basketball player to feature as a cover athlete on Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit edition.

$1.1 Million NIL valued Hailey Van Lith debuts as Sports Illustrated Swimwear digit cover model

Hailey Van Lith (Image via Instagram)

The world of women’s college basketball in the middle of its fastest-growing phase. With Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese capturing public imagination in 2023, the likes of Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins and Flau’jae Johnson making their own waves in the two intervening years and the whole landscape of NCAA basketball undergoing an NIL valuation arms race, there has never been a better time to be a college athlete. Hailey Van Lith, whose play has been a significant part of the draw, is also a beneficiary.

The TCU guard, who formerly played for Louisville and LSU, revitalized her college career in her fifth year. Following a down year at LSU, where she faced much negative media attention and was used in an unfamiliar role, her move to TCU helped her produce the most efficient scoring season of her career. van Lith shot 45.2% from the field, averaging nearly 18 points, 5.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.

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Van Lith has 1.3 million followers on Instagram. The 23-year-old also has 438,000 followers on TikTok and 61000 fans on X. She built the bulk of her following up at Louisville, where she was viewed as one of the most complete WNBA prospects. As a top-5 valued NIL athlete among women, van Lith reportedly makes $1.1 million off brand partnerships. Her associations include The NIL Store, Apple Cash, Topps, LaCroix, Adidas and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Sports Illustrated Swimwear unveiled Hailey Van Lith as their latest digital cover athlete today. HVL, as she’s popularly known, has always been viewed as one of the best-looking athletes of her class. The 5’9″ guard was featured on the magazine’s cover for the April 2025 edition of its digital version. This association is the latest in a long line of groundbreaking brand partnerships for WNBA athletes in its past two season.

Van Lith rose to prominence when Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes met Louisville at the Elite Eight during March Madness 2023. Clark made a gesture popularly done by John Cena called ‘You Can’t See Me’. Many fans interpreted this as a taunt to Van Lith, whom Clark lit up for a 40-point triple-double. Van Lith herself had 27 points on the night, and the duel between the two put the spotlight on both.

What is Hailey Van Lith’s WNBA projection?

The TCU guard, whose draft stock fell following a down year at LSU, is back in the top 10 among pre-draft projections. Many outlets suggest that van Lith could be a first round pickup, with some mock drafts projecting the 5’9″ guard to join the Chicago Sky. Van Lith’s strengths are her ability to play either guard position equally well, while being a good half-court facilitator.

The increased athleticism of her competition could initially stunt her scoring prowess, as they did for college standouts Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu during their debut WNBA seasons. However, Van Lith’s tape suggests that she has the skill level required to adapt to WNBA offenses as a scorer.

Mock drafts suggest that teams like Chicago, Seattle, Las Vegas and the Indiana Fever could be in the running for her services. Van Lith would do well in a variety of WNBA offenses, but perhaps joining a loaded offense like the Aces’ would bring the best out of her facilitating abilities. With the WNBA draft coming up within a week on April 13th, expect the dynamic guard to serve up more looks on Draft Night!