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Watch Hailey Van Lith’s Hilarious Reaction to Going Viral at the Empire State Building

The No. 11 WNBA Draft pick started her day on a high note, quite literally.

Bailey Colon

Hailey Van Lith at the Empire State Building
Hailey Van Lith at the Empire State Building / David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Before SI Swimsuit Digital Cover model and NCAA collegiate basketball superstar Hailey Van Lith earned a first-round bid in the WNBA Draft on Monday, the 23-year-old baller went viral for another reason. 

Van Lith joined fellow Draft invitees in New York City, where the attendees were provided an outing to the Empire State Building before the main event.

Decked out in Fear of God Essentials hoodies that repped ‘WNBA ESSENTIALS’ in front (and an orange hood to match the league’s logo), the young women observed a picture-perfect view of New York City. They also turned the iconic landmark orange in celebration of the night ahead. 

The trip was filled with plenty of photo ops, and—in an untimely moment for Van Lith—caught her with an angry look in one of the group shots. 

Fans noticed Van Lith’s caught-off-guard moment almost immediately, as a variety of Instagram users headed straight to the comments:

“Hailey you okay? 😭,” one commenter asked.

“Why Hailey looking like that 😂😂,” another Instagram user chimed in. 

"Somebody check on Hailey lol,” a different comment read.

“I’m sure Hailey just needs a cup of coffee. I understand that look 😆,” a subsequent user shared.

Later that night, Van Lith was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the 11th pick in the Draft. After her selection, the newest WNBA rookie dispelled the rumors regarding her expression in an interview with ESPN. 

As it turned out, the former Texas Christian University guard didn’t realize she was making a face at all!

“I […] don’t even remember doing that,” Van Lith said, joking in reaction to the snapshot. “So that’s a red flag.”

While Van Lith’s look didn’t seem to stem from fear of the 1250-foot top floor, fellow draftees could not say the same. “That’s way too high. I’m not with it,” said No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, after looking down at the view of Manhattan.

University of Maryland guard and No. 17 pick, Shyanne Sellers, echoed Bueckers’ sentiment as she crouched alongside the building’s overview in fear. “Where’s the door? Yo Paige, get the door,” she added.

Including Van Lith, the Empire State Building hosted 11 out of 12 first-round picks on Monday with the exception of Justė Jocytė. While she was not in attendance at the outing or the Draft, the Lithuanian player did make history as the first-ever pick by the Golden State Valkyries, who joined the WNBA in October of 2023.

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Bailey Colon
BAILEY COLON

Bailey Colón is a writer on the Breaking and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit, Colón worked at the National Basketball Association where she served as a founding member of the ‘Starting 5’ newsletter and led editorial operations for the NBA App and dotcom. Colón is particularly passionate about the impact of athletics on popular culture, fashion and media. The New England native has a bachelor’s degree from Marist College in journalism and political science.

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