IN PICS: $1.1M NIL-valued Hailey Van Lith shines as latest cover star of SI Swimsuit

TCU women's basketball star Hailey Van Lith was named Sports Illustrated's swimsuit cover star for April after an impressive 2024-25 season. Van Lith appeared on the covers of the digital version of the publication wearing a stylish black one-piece swimsuit while holding a basketball with the Big 12 logo.

HVL, who holds a $1.1M NIL valuation (per On3), was photographed by Taylor Ballantyne in Fort Worth, Texas, for her April cover shoot, which was presented by Batiste.

In the video campaign posted by SI Swimsuit on Instagram on Tuesday, Van Lith said:

"I feel sexy and cute and athletic. You can be strong and beautiful, and all athletes should feel empowered."

Van Lith was glammed up by Katherine Ann Mellinger, and her hair was done by Paul Norton. She appeared in swimsuits designed by Vitamin A Swim, WeWoreWhat, Saint Laurent and LSPAC and wore a two-piece cowprint bikini, a brown sparkle bikini and a black bikini with white trim.

The TCU star said she initially felt skeptical about doing the shoot since she was uncomfortable with the setting.

“My initial reaction was, I was intimidated,” Van Lith said to SI Swimsuit. “I didn't know if I would be comfortable in that kind of setting, but I wanted to try something that I had never tried. I would regret it a lot if I let my insecurities or my reservations hold me back from it.”

Hailey Van Lith speaks on "loyalty" as she becomes SI Swimsuit cover star for April 2025

Hailey Van Lith was one of the most outstanding players in women's college basketball this season. She led TCU to its first Big 12 Tournament title, earning the Most Outstanding Player of the Year for the conference. Then, she also inspired the Horned Frogs to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

Van Lith began her collegiate basketball career with Louisville before she transferred to LSU to play under Kim Mulkey. However, a difficult season with the Lady Tigers led her to TCU, where she established herself as one of the key players for Mark Campbell's team.

Van Lith talked about how people questioned her loyalty since she entered the transfer portal twice in her career.

“I am a loyal person, and I think some people laugh at me when I say that, because they're like, ‘You’ve transferred twice,’” she said to SI Swimsuit. “Loyalty begins with honoring yourself before you can truly honor other people. I think that sometimes my career puts ideas in people's heads that I'm an individual (first and foremost), and that's not the case.”

With the 2025 WNBA draft fast approaching, Van Lith is expected to be one of the top picks after ending her college basketball career on an impressive note.