WNBA Star Hailey Van Lith Joins New Zealand Basketball Team

A major American basketball star is heading to New Zealand, and it's a game changer for women's sports in the Pacific.

Hailey Van Lith, a Connecticut Sun guard with 1.3 million Instagram followers, just signed with the Tokomanawa Queens for the 2026 Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa season. The 24-year-old was the 11th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and ranks as the ninth most-followed WNBA player on social media.

She'll join fellow Connecticut Sun teammate Charlisse Leger-Walker, who made history as just the second New Zealand woman to reach the WNBA. Leger-Walker signed with the Queens last month and will play in her home country for the first time in six years.

The Wellington-based Queens are building something special. They won the league's inaugural championship in 2022 and are now assembling a roster that would have seemed impossible when Tauihi launched just four years ago.

Van Lith brings star power and resilience to the court. She's overcome a serious ankle injury during her rookie season and worked through short-term contracts to keep her professional dreams alive.

Leger-Walker adds her own impressive resume: six years of college basketball in the US, including steering the University of California to the NCAA championship earlier this year. She'll also reunite with her older sister Krystal on the Queens roster.

The Ripple Effect

This signing sends a powerful message about the growth of women's professional basketball beyond traditional markets. When a league that didn't exist five years ago can attract top WNBA talent, it shows the sport is truly going global.

Young basketball players across New Zealand now get to watch world-class athletes compete in their own backyard. The visibility matters: girls who see these stars play locally learn that professional basketball careers are within reach, not just distant dreams played out on American TV screens.

The Queens described Van Lith as a "relentless playmaker" with an "elite bucket-getting mentality." Both players will join the team once their WNBA commitments wrap up later this month.

The season tips off on September 27, and the Queens are ready to defend their title with their strongest lineup yet.