Elaina Eichorn/NCAA Photos via Getty; ESPN
Hailey Van Lith; Her dad Corey and Jalen Suggs
While Hailey Van Lith dominated on the March Madness court, her boyfriend, NBA player Jalen Suggs, and her dad stole the show in the stands — and she both loved and hated it, the WNBA draftee tells PEOPLE.
Van Lith, 23, spoke to PEOPLE on the carpet at the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday, April 14 in New York City, where the TCU Horned Frogs guard says she was only a little embarrassed when she saw that cameras caught her dad’s celebration with her boyfriend.
The TCU star laughed and says she was “shaking her head” when she first saw the viral clip, but admits to PEOPLE, “No I love it, it’s totally their personalities and I’m so glad that the world gets to see their joy and passion.”
Van Lith adds that she “sometimes” gets “embarrassed daughter vibes” by her father, who played collegiate baseball and basketball at the University of Puget Sound, but ultimately says she’s going to “let him do him for sure.”
Fans were thrilled when cameras caught Suggs sitting next to Hailey’s parents Corey and Jessica Van Lith as the Horned Frogs took on Notre Dame in the March Madness tournament last month. When she hit a three-pointer in the fourth quarter of the win, Suggs and Corey were spotted excitedly high-fiving and celebrating with fans.
“Hailey Van Lith’s dad celebrating her 3 with bf Jalen Suggs is absolute cinema,” one post on X said after the moment went viral.
At the WNBA draft on Monday, Van Lith is rocking a bold look for her big night, in a sequin-embellished black mini dress with long sleeves and chunky black heels on the orange carpet.
She added a pair of silver bow clips to her hair and carried a sleek black handbag to complete her draft night look.
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Van Lith and Suggs have been rumored to be dating since 2021, but the basketball stars remain tight-lipped about their relationship.
On Saturday, April 12, the WNBA posted a video of Van Lith in New York City preparing for the draft — with Suggs seen walking behind her in the footage. And when PEOPLE called Suggs her “boyfriend” on the carpet at the 2025 draft, Van Lith didn’t correct the title.
Amid last month’s March Madness tournament, Van Lith made headlines when she opened up about her struggles with mental health in previous college seasons. “When I was younger and in college, I was suicidal,” Van Lith revealed during an interview TCU’s locker room shared on X on March 23.
“I was heavily medicated and I felt trapped, and you would never know because I was having a ton of success on the court, but internally, and in life in general, I was ready to be done.”
“To come from that to this is incredible,” she said in the interview after the Horned Frogs defeated Louisville in the second round.
Read the original article on People
