NBA star Jalen Suggs calls Hailey Van Lith one of the best competitors he’s met
Jalen Suggs was on ESPN discussing his former teammate Chet Holmgren and his run to the NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and explained how Hailey Van Lith has inspired him during her rookie year.
“It’s been really cool, it’s made me become very reflective on my rookie year my journey throughout, my own path in the league and watching her take it on has been motivating as well,” said Suggs, ” She’s I think, one of the purest competitors that I’ve ever met, I’ve ever been around. She pushes me to embrace that side of myself as well, but seeing her maneuver, just being a rookie, seeing a new situation, a new team, different pace of basketball, in fact being a pro in all her moments has been really cool.”
Suggs and Van Lith are dating and the Orlando Magic point guard could be seen at games with her father throughout TCU’s historic run to the Elite Eight during March Madness.
Van Lith got off to a slow start in her WNBA career with the Chicago Sky, but she has played 16 minutes or more in three of her last four games and set a career high, scoring 16 points in a win against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.
It was the first double-digit scoring game of her professional career.
This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 10:50 AM.
