Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith welcomed back to LSU during WNBA preseason game

On Friday, the Chicago Sky kicked off their preseason with a showdown against the Brazil National team. It was special night for the Sky, who traveled to Baton Rouge to play in LSU‘s Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

It was a homecoming for Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith. Although Van Lith didn’t finish her career with the Tigers, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey still welcomed her back with open arms. She gave flowers and a hug to each of the former Tigers before the game.

There were undoubtedly some LSU women’s basketball fans in the building, as cheers rained down during the pregame ceremony. Van Lith and Reese, especially, gave Tigers fans memories that will last a lifetime.

Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith were recognized in Baton Rouge ahead of their game against Brazil's national team 🤩 pic.twitter.com/V5ZljpVW8s

— espnW (@espnW) May 3, 2025

In just two seasons at LSU, Reese won the 2024 SEC Player of the Year award, was a two-time All-SEC First-Team selection and guided the Tigers to a national title. She was the 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player for her excellent play in the Tigers’ run to gold.

Van Lith didn’t accomplish nearly as much during her time at LSU but she still left quite an impressionson Tigers fans. In her lone campaign in Baton Rouge, Van Lith averaged 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while boosting the Tigers to an Elite Eight appearance.

Van Lith entered the transfer portal after the 2023-24 season and joined TCU, where she had a career year. Meanwhile, Reese turned heads in the WNBA, earning All-Star honors her first season in the league.

Reese’s success didn’t come without its fair share of criticism. Many people attempted to poke holes in Reese’s efficiency because she 39.1% from the field. On Friday, Kim Mulkey had a message for the people hating on Angel Reese.

“I always get tickled at people who criticize and critique,” Mulkey said. “And I always say, they have championship rings. They have championship rings. I remember Dennis Rodman, couldn’t shoot outside the paint. I coached a young lady back in the day at Louisiana Tech, ‘Well, she has no left hand.’ I said, ‘Why do we care? You can’t stop the right hand.’

“You can critique players, you can critique people all day long. At the end of the day, if they’re winners, they find a way to beat you.”

Van Lith will look to have just as much success as Reese did in her rookie season. The pair will make a formidable WNBA duo for the Chicago Sky.