Hailey Van Lith, who was drafted 11th overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2025 draft, played in just 29 games during the past season. While there were several instances when she was simply not chosen to play, she also dealt with a nagging injury that really affected her first year in the WNBA.

In fact, Van Lith missed the Sky’s last seven games due to her persistent ankle issue. In an interview in late August, head coach Tyler Marsh admitted that Van Lith had “some flare ups at times with her ankle, and so she’s felt a little soreness.” That being said, Chicago could only be cautious when it comes to her availability.

Van Lith put up 3.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in her rookie season. She shot 33.9% from the field and 16.1% from deep, all while playing an average of 12.4 minutes per game.

Now, after the Sky’s season ended following their failure to make the playoffs, Van Lith revealed that she has decided to undergo surgery to address her injury. On her Instagram Stories, she posted a photo of herself after the operation, with her right ankle bandaged.

“Not my will but His!” Van Lith wrote. “Time to get the ankle right!”

It remains to be seen how long Van Lith will need to fully recover, but it’s safe to assume that she won’t be playing basketball any time soon.

It’s worth noting that Van Lith previously said that she plans to join the second season of Unrivaled in 2026, but she was not among the players who signed with the 3-on-3 league. Perhaps her injury is the reason she opted not to go through with it.

The good news for Van Lith is that she has time to focus on her health and recovery. After all, the WNBA season usually kicks off in May, so that’s still over seven months from now.