Rare photo of basketball star Hailey Van Lith dressed up in sparkly low-cut dress at WNBA draft

Abby Tegnelia

Rare photo of basketball star Hailey Van Lith dressed up in sparkly low-cut dress at WNBA draft image

Hailey Van Lith showed up to her big night at the 2025 WNBA draft looking absolutely gorgeous in a leveled-up “little black dress” that fit her like a glove.

Hitting the orange carpet at the April 14 event at The Shed in New York City, the basketball star who led TCU to March Madness’ Elite Eight turned heads in a low-cut stunner of a dress, balancing its short length with sheer, long sleeves. She carried a little black evening bag by Coach (for which she has a sponsorship deal) and wore her long, blonde hair perfectly blown out to the side.

The likely first-round pick finished her look with bare legs and open-toed high heels.

@espn (via @WNBA) #wnba #haileyvanlith #basketball ♬ Confidence (sped up version) - Ocean Alley

Van Lith, 23, was the Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Tournament MVP for the 2024-25 season, for which she was a proud Horned Frog. And her arrival look proved she was ready for whatever the draft had in store for the star guard.

Fans went wild over her dressed-up look, immediately taking to social media to share their praise — which included a parade of fire, applause and heart eyes emojis.

“Show-stopper!” exclaimed one on ESPN's TikTok post. “Stunning.” Said another, “That’s a WNBA player.” Quipped a third, “My gf has such good style.”

“Smoke show on and off the court,” commented a fourth fan, who addressed her by her nickname, HVL.

Instagrammers agreed: “My everything,” said one. “She’s absolutely gorgeous,” added another. “Coach came to play,” commented a third, making a pun regarding her purse.

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Abby Tegnelia

Abby is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. She has been a prolific lifestyle and celebrity news writer and editor for more than 15 years. She has served as News Director at In Touch, reporter/writer at Us Weekly, reporter at New York magazine, and has written for national and international titles including Marie Claire, Glamour, Huffington Post and Expedia.