Jalen Suggs #4 of the Orlando Magic during an NBA basketball game on January 02, 2024 in San Francisco, California ; Hailey Van Lith #10 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on March 31, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo:
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ; Sarah Stier/Getty
Hailey Van Lith and her boyfriend, NBA player Jalen Suggs, confirmed their romance during a special moment.
A few years after they were first linked in 2021, the athletes shared a celebratory kiss when Hailey was drafted by the Chicago Sky as the 11th overall pick at the WNBA 2025 Draft ceremony on April 14.
In a clip from the event, Suggs, who plays for Orlando Magic, watched Hailey from the audience. After she was drafted and departed from the stage, the couple quickly kissed each other before Hailey was escorted away.
While they’re both dedicated to the sport, Hailey revealed to PEOPLE that she doesn’t discuss basketball with her boyfriend.
“We actually don’t talk about sports,” she said. “Keeps the relationship healthy.”
So who is Hailey’s boyfriend, Jalen Suggs? Here’s everything to know about the NBA player and his relationship with the new WNBA member.
Jalen Suggs #4 of the Orlando Magic during a game on April 7, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. Rich Storry/Getty
Jalen was born in St. Paul, Minn., and attended Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis.
In February 2023, he returned to his high school to retire his Minnehaha Redhawks jerseys for both basketball and football. According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, Jalen wore No. 1 on the different teams.
He also “became the first athlete in Minnesota state history to win the Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball awards in the same year,” per USA Basketball.
“This place will always have a special place in my heart,” Jalen said at the event, per Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. “To be able to have something like this is once in a lifetime. It’s just a product of not only everything that this community has poured into me, but my family, friends, everyone who has helped get me to this point.”
Jalen Suggs #4 of the Orlando Magic drives to the basket during a game on February 8, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Jalen is a shooting guard for the Orlando Magic. He was drafted by the team in 2021 as the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft that year.
Afterward, at the event’s press conference, the athlete was asked what his long-term goal for his basketball career was, and he shared that he wanted to be a “champion and a contributing role on a championship team.”
“That’s it for me, that’s the peak of the mountaintop. Being able to have a parade with the city, everyone on the team celebrates together,” he continued. “Thinking of that brings me happiness, and gets me excited. For me, that’s the peak of the mountaintop.”
In March 2025, The Athletic reported that Jalen would miss the rest of the regular season plus the postseason due to undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee. A mosaicplasty was also performed.
According to Sports Illustrated, Jalen said “he plans to be ready for the 2025-26 season,” but recovery is taking longer than anticipated.
“Progress is slow, and it’s one of those things you can’t really speed up,” he explained. “[I’m] taking each day as it comes, physically and mentally, just trying to be fully present with it, but I’m doing good. I’m in a good space.”
Before joining the Orlando Magic, Jalen played for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where his 2021 “miracle shot” made headlines. In an NCAA Final Four game against the UCLA Bruins, the Bulldogs won thanks to Jalen scoring a three-point “buzzer beater.”
WNBA draftee Hailey Van Lith poses for a photo at the Empire State Building on April 14, 2025 in New York City ; Jalen Suggs #4 of the Orlando Magic during a game on February 12, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. David Dow/NBAE via Getty; Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty
Rumors of Hailey and Jalen dating first started swirling in 2021.
According to TMZ, Jalen posted a photo of him and Hailey on his Instagram feed with the caption, “Yea, we solid on this end.”
While it led fans to believe they were a couple, neither confirmed nor denied a romantic connection.
Hailey Van Lith #10 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on March 29, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama ; Jalen Suggs and Hailey Van Lith’s dad celebrate her big 3 win over Notre Dame. Elaina Eichorn/NCAA Photos via Getty; ESPN
Hailey’s dad, Corey, and Jalen had a viral moment while watching Hailey play for the TCU Horned Frogs in the 2025 March Madness.
After Hailey scored a three-pointer against Notre Dame, Corey celebrated with Jalen as they did a triumphant chest bump.
While speaking to PEOPLE on the orange carpet at the WNBA’s 2025 Draft, Hailey was asked about her reaction to her dad and her boyfriend’s excitement being caught on camera. “Literally cover my eyes, shaking my head,” she joked.
“No, I love it. It’s totally their personalities, and I’m so glad that the world gets to see their joy and passion,” she added. “But yeah, sometimes I get embarrassed daughter vibes, but I’m going to let him do him, for sure.”
Hailey Van Lith at the 2025 WNBA Draft on April 14, 2025 in New York City ; Jalen Suggs during the 2021 NBA Draft on July 29, 2021 in New York City. Cindy Ord/Getty ; Arturo Holmes/Getty
The two athletes shared a kiss at the 2025 WNBA Draft ceremony on April 14, after Hailey was selected by the Chicago Sky.
Shortly after, footage from the special night began circulating of the basketball players celebrating together.
Jalen Suggs poses with his gold medal in July 2019. Jalen Suggs/ Instagram
Jalen is a three-time gold medalist with USA Basketball. He won at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup and 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.
“To be able to put USA across your chest three times, three times you go to try out would be crazy,” he told USA Basketball in June 2019, leading up to that year’s Basketball World Cup.
“To be picked among the 12 best people in the country to represent the United States, a complete blessing, I’d be thankful.”
