Ex-WNBA star critical of Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith, believes popularity played role in draft selection

Former WNBA star Angel McCoughtry made critical remarks about Chicago Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith over the former TCU women s basketball athlete s social media following McCoughtry suggested in a latest podcast interview that Van Lith may not have been looked at in the WNBA if she didn t have a big social media following Van Lith was one of the most-followed collegiate athletes on social media She has million followers on Instagram alone CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS COM If Hailey Van Lith had followers would she be in the league Let me ask you that McCoughtry noted on The Daily W Honestly We're just talking about her true talent Take away her followers Would she be in the league if she only had followers Hailey Van Lith she's a decent participant McCoughtry added Are there players out there who may be better than Hailey Van Lith I believe so They're not popular Van Lith was a solid guard for Louisville at the start of her collegiate career She averaged points and assists with the Cardinals from to He transferred to LSU and played with Angel Reese Flau jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow and transferred again to finish her collegiate career with TCU which she led to an NCAA tournament berth LIBERTY CENTER JONQUEL JONES OUT - WEEKS WITH SPRAINED ANKLEAs McCoughtry s comments were dissected across social media over the week she apologized in an Instagram Live session over the weekend 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 she announced via CBS Sports Now My mistake I made was giving a point with the wrong delivery I shouldn't have used a certain athlete 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 Hailey for that You worked hard for everything you've got plus more Plus more And that's to all the players McCoughtry also starred at Louisville before she was the No overall pick of the draft by the Atlanta Dream She played seasons with the Dream two for the Las Vegas Aces and one more with the Minnesota Lynx She was a five-time All-Star and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Van Lith has been limited to a bench role during her rookie season so far She is averaging points and assists per tournament in games Follow Fox News Digital s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter