Hailey Van Lith finds new team after being suddenly waived by Sky

Nypost · May 07, 2026 · 271 words · By Bridget Reilly

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/07/sports/hailey-van-lith-finds-new-team-after-being-…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

schedule Pending 2

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“the second-year guard was waived by the Sky in favor of signing Natasha Cloud on a one-year deal”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim are generic information about the city of Chicago and do not mention the Chicago Sky, Hailey Van Lith, or Natasha Cloud.

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web search NEUTRAL — Chicago is the seat of Cook County, the second-most populous county in the U.S. Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago

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web search NEUTRAL — Welcome to the official City of Chicago Website. The source for information about City services, departments, programs and initiatives, and officials for Chicago residents, businesses, and visitors.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en.html

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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 28, 2025 · Must-visit attractions in Chicago include the Navy Pier, Wrigley Field, Second City, Skydeck Chicago, and of course, "The Bean." Find more fun things to do in Chicago.
https://travel.usnews.com/Chicago_IL/Things_To_Do/

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“Van Lith was claimed on waivers by the Sun, the team announced Wednesday”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (ESPN, a Sun news report, and another news article) confirm that the Connecticut Sun claimed Hailey Van Lith on waivers on Wednesday after she was released by the Sky.

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web search NEUTRAL — Van Lith joins the youth movement in Connecticut and is reunited with Sun president Jen Rizzotti, who previously coached her on USA 3x3 basketball teams, including at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Editor's…
https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/48696894/connecticut-su…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Connecticut Sun claimed guard Hailey Van Lith off waivers on Wednesday, following her release from the Chicago Sky earlier in the week. Van Lith, 24, entered the league as the No. 11 overall selec…
https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/connecticut-sun/sun-claim-hail…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Connecticut Sun announced Wednesday that the franchise signed Hailey Van Lith on a waiver claim, not disclosing details of the contract per team policy.Wednesday's signing also reunites Van Lith w…
https://www.greenwichtime.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball…

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“Jen Rizzotti, who was Van Lith’s coach on Team USA’s 3×3 basketball teams, including at the 2024 Paris Olympics”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (TheSheGotGame, ESPN, and another article) confirm that Jen Rizzotti (Sun president) coached Hailey Van Lith on Team USA's 3x3 basketball teams, specifically at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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web search NEUTRAL — Hailey Van Lith joins the youth movement in Connecticut and reunites with Sun president Jen Rizzotti, who coached her on USA 3x3 basketball teams, including at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
https://www.theshegotgame.com/news/hailey-van-liths-wnba-jou…

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web search NEUTRAL — Not to mention that Sun President Jennifer Rizzotti was Van Lith's coach for Team USA 3x3 basketball at the Paris 2024 Olympics, which means that they already have a connection. United States player H…
https://www.si.com/onsi/womens-fastbreak/news/how-hailey-van…

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“Van Lith joins several other new faces on the Sun... including 10-time All-Star Brittney Griner, ex-Liberty forward and 2024 champion Kennedy Burke, Diamond Miller and Shey Peddy”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm these players joined the Sun: Brittney Griner is confirmed by a specific article on her move to the Sun; Shey Peddy, Diamond Miller, and Kennedy Burke are confirmed by the 'Connecticut Sun preview' article.

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web search NEUTRAL — Griner with the Phoenix Mercury in 2019. Connecticut Sun. Position.In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 88–83 and advanced to the semi-finals. Griner scored 2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittney_Griner

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web search NEUTRAL — Connecticut Sun enters in its final season before relocation with plenty of new faces.The Sun solidified their roster with veterans including Roxbury native Shey Peddy, Diamond Miller, and Kennedy Bur…
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/08/sports/connecticut-su…

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web search NEUTRAL — Why Brittney Griner chose Connecticut: Youth, leadership and a path to coaching.Edwards can chuckle because now Griner is on her side, a teammate with the Connecticut Sun. Entering her 13th season in …
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2026/04/27/brittn…

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“Aaliyah Edwards... is entering her first full season with the Sun after being acquired as a midseason trade in 2025”

CORROBORATED

Three sources (Wikipedia, and two news reports) confirm Aaliyah Edwards was traded from the Washington Mystics to the Connecticut Sun during the 2025 season.

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web search NEUTRAL — To Connecticut Sun. Aaliyah Edwards. To Washington Mystics.The mid-season cut down date for the 2025 season was July 13, the final date teams could waive players on unprotected contracts without finan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2025_WNBA_season_trans…

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web search NEUTRAL — Breaking: The Washington Mystics' Aaliyah Edwards has been traded to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Jacy Sheldon and the right to swap Washington's 2026 first-round pick (MIN's) for Connecticut's…
https://www.si.com/onsi/womens-fastbreak/wnba/mystics-and-su…

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web search NEUTRAL — WASHINGTON — The Washington Mystics traded forward Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun for guard Jacy Sheldon. The move announced by the teams includes an option for Washington to swap 2026 first-r…
https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/washington-mystics-trade…

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“Chicago’s signing of Cloud just came hours after Van Lith was released”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic information about the city of Chicago and does not address the timing of the signing of Natasha Cloud or the release of Hailey Van Lith.

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“the Sky traded draft picks to the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo ahead of the expansion draft in April”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia confirms the 2026 expansion draft for Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo occurred in April, and a news report explicitly states the Chicago Sky announced trades with the Tempo and Fire to prevent them from selecting Sky players in that draft.

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web search NEUTRAL — The draft was held on April 3, 2026 for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo to select players from the other teams in the league to fill out their inaugural rosters for the 2026 WNBA season.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_WNBA_expansion_draft

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web search NEUTRAL — On Wednesday, the Chicago Sky announced trades with the Tempo and the Fire, which prevented the expansion teams from selecting Sky players.The college draft is set for April 13 and training camps open…
https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/04/03/portland-fir…

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web search NEUTRAL — WNBA 2026 expansion draft: Three big trends from Portland, Toronto picks.The Fire decided they wanted to use their UFA pick on Carleton. And to make sure Toronto did not select the Ontario, Canada, na…
https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/48388409/wnba-2026-expa…

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“Van Lith was drafted by the Sky as the 11th overall pick in 2025”

CORROBORATED

While the search results for this specific claim index were incorrectly populated with Hailey Bieber, the evidence for Claim 1 explicitly states: 'Van Lith, 24, entered the league as the No. 11 overall selection in the 2025 WNBA Draft out of TCU.' This confirms the claim.

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web search NEUTRAL — Hailey Rhode Bieber (née Baldwin; born November 22, 1996) is an American model, socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. [3] She is the founder and chief creative officer (CCO) of the skincare…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hailey_Bieber

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web search NEUTRAL — 58M Followers, 957 Following, 738 Posts - Hailey Rhode Bieber (@haileybieber) on Instagram: "Founder, Chief Creative Officer, and Head Of Innovation @rhode 🤍"
https://www.instagram.com/haileybieber/

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 24, 2026 · Get the latest and most updated news, videos, and photo galleries about Hailey Bieber
https://www.eonline.com/news/hailey_baldwin

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“In her rookie season, she averaged 3.5 points on just 33 percent shooting across 12.4 minutes per game”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

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“Van Lith only participated in 29 contests as an ankle injury cut her campaign short”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

schedule

“Before leaving Chicago, she averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 71.4 percent from the field across their two preseason games”

PENDING

schedule

“The Sun open their 2026 season against the Liberty at Barclays Center on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET”

PENDING

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Hailey Van Lith finds new team after being suddenly waived by Sky

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