The 2025 WNBA Draft had it all — Paige Bueckers lighting up the room like she’d already arrived, fans speculating whether Aneesah Morrow shrank two inches overnight, and chaos unfolding as Shyanne Sellers was misidentified more times than the Knicks missed on lottery picks. But while social media buzzed over Bueckers’ fit and Morrow’s frame, one moment sent a ripple straight into the podcasting pits of former ESPN analyst Jason Whitlock.

It wasn’t a highlight reel. It wasn’t even a stat. It was just a line — a short, sugarcoated response from Hailey Van Lith, newly drafted by the Chicago Sky at No. 11 overall, when asked about reuniting with her old LSU teammate, Angel Reese: “Oh, I love that energy.”

And with that, Whitlock grabbed his mic like a hot take was on the fast break.

On his podcast, Whitlock sarcastically mimicked Van Lith’s response and stated, “Oh, I love that energy. You know, she had a chance to say something like, ‘Great. Angel and I are familiar with each other from LSU. This is going to be awesome.’ Just easy, natural comments to make.”

Whitlock then took it further. “Van Lith has been very honest about her mental health struggles… she’s contemplated suicide and she’s cried on camera about how great things were at TCU,” he said, before pointing to a cryptic tweet from Reese, who posted: “We ain’t do it right the first time. Let’s run it back.”

To Whitlock, that tweet was telling: “That to me is a little fuel on the fire. And I’ll just say this. It’s my understanding that every one of those teammates at LSU hated playing with Angel Reese. And I know some of you will think that’s some bias on on my part. I’m just telling you what I know.”

But Whitlock’s claim is shaky—there’s no hard evidence that everyone at LSU despised Reese. He’s got a history of targeting her.

But in all honestly? The LSU locker room wasn’t exactly a picture of harmony during that time.

Reese’s season with Van Lith — who had just transferred from Louisville — was marked by tension and turbulence. Midway through LSU’s national title defense, Reese mysteriously vanished from the lineup. Head coach Kim Mulkey danced around the reason, offering only cryptic comments about “locker room issues,” saying: “Sometimes you all know about them. Sometimes you don’t… I’m going to protect my players—always.” (Source: Guardian)

Meanwhile, the drama spilled over onto social media. A spat between Reese’s mother and the mother of teammate Flau’jae Johnson revealed deeper fractures in the team, including public accusations about Reese’s GPA and jabs about parenting styles. Even as LSU continued to win games, questions lingered — not just about Reese’s absence, but about whether the team chemistry had ever really clicked.

Mulkey’s silence only added to the fog. “These kids are like my children,” she said. “And I’m not going to tell you what you don’t need to know.”

This wasn’t just some routine midseason blip. Reese — one of the most marketable athletes in women’s college sports — missed multiple games, was benched for a half, and only appeared in a hype video on game night. Van Lith, meanwhile, had arrived with fanfare and high expectations, (averaging 19.7 points at lousiville) but got thrown into a locker room already charged with pressure, egos, and now, friction and found herself so lost in her own mental turmoil of her own that she ended up looking lost on the court (averaged 11.6 points at LSU).

So when Whitlock hears Van Lith respond with “Oh, I love that energy,” you can understand why he doesn’t buy it at face value. There’s history there — a history that’s more smoke than fire on the surface, but might just be smoldering underneath.

Van Lith on Reese: ‘She Turns Up the Intensity’—And It’s About to Spark the Sky’s Offense

Whitlock might have thrown in his two cents, but Hailey Van Lith’s words carry a different weight. “Mostly I’m just excited to get to be around her again,” Van Lith shared. “We’ve got a lot of similarities in how we carry ourselves and what’s important to us. She’s a dawg, man. She turns up the intensity of everyone around her. I can’t wait to be back in that environment with her, where she’ll pull more out of me than I even know I’ve got.”

Despite some tough times at LSU, including Reese’s midseason absences tied to “locker room issues,” Van Lith has never wavered in her support. After her move to TCU, the connection between the two remained strong. “We still text. I still congratulate her. I’m so happy for her at TCU. I’m gonna try to support her there, as well. That’s somebody that really, really, really works hard, and that’s somebody, I really admire their work ethic. She works her ass off.”  Reese told in an interview with 0n3.com, last year, showing just how solid their bond remains.

Van Lith’s final season at TCU solidified her status as a top draft pick, averaging 17.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game. Her 172-game career set a Division I record, while her pick-and-roll skills impressed ESPN’s Charlie Creme, showcasing her well-rounded offensive game.

The Chicago Sky’s pick of Van Lith wasn’t just about adding depth—it’s a strategic move. With veteran Courtney Vandersloot leading the charge, Van Lith’s scoring and playmaking will be crucial. Her chemistry with Reese promises to electrify the Sky’s future, making this pairing one to watch.

With these two in sync, the WNBA is about to witness a whole new level of offensive firepower from the Chicago Sky. The buzz is real—this reunion is bound to redefine the team’s season.