Former WNBA star Angel McCoughtry made critical remarks about Chicago Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith over the former TCU women’s basketball player’s social media following.

McCoughtry suggested in a recent podcast interview that Van Lith may not have been looked at in the WNBA if she didn’t have a big social media following. Van Lith was one of the most-followed collegiate athletes on social media. She has 1.3 million followers on Instagram alone.

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"If Hailey Van Lith had 10,000 followers, would she be in the league? Let me ask you that," McCoughtry said on "The Daily W." "Honestly. We're just talking about her true talent. Take away her followers. Would she be in the league if she only had 10,000 followers?"

"Hailey Van Lith, she's a decent player," McCoughtry added. "Are there players out there who may be better than Hailey Van Lith? I believe so. They're not popular."

Van Lith was a solid guard for Louisville at the start of her collegiate career. She averaged 15.4 points and 2.5 assists with the Cardinals from 2020 to 2023. He transferred to LSU and played with Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow and transferred again to finish her collegiate career with TCU, which she led to an NCAA tournament berth.

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As McCoughtry’s comments were dissected across social media over the week, she apologized in an Instagram Live session over the weekend.

"Just so y'all know, I know one thing I ain't is a hater. I ain't never hated on nobody and those words ain't never come out my mouth," she said, via CBS Sports. "Now, My mistake I made was giving a point with the wrong delivery. I shouldn't have used a certain player to make an example of a point I was trying to make. And I want to apologize for that. 

"I can take accountability when I'm wrong y'all, so I'm going to apologize to Hailey for that. You worked hard for everything you've got, plus more. Plus more. And that's to all the players."

McCoughtry also starred at Louisville before she was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 draft by the Atlanta Dream. She played 10 seasons with the Dream, two for the Las Vegas Aces and one more with the Minnesota Lynx. She was a five-time All-Star and the 2009 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Van Lith has been limited to a bench role during her rookie season so far. She is averaging 5.1 points and 1.5 assists per game in 10 games.

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Hundreds of U.S. citizens evacuated Iran over the past week ahead of America striking three of Iran’s key nuclear sites on Saturday, according to an internal State Department cable, Reuters reported.

While many Americans were able to leave without issues, "numerous" citizens faced "delays and harassment" while trying to leave, the outlet added, citing the cable reportedly dated on Friday. Two citizens attempting to leave Iran were reportedly detained.

The reported evacuation difficulties faced by Americans underscore the broader challenges Washington has encountered in assisting its nationals inside Iran, a country that has not had any diplomatic ties with the U.S. since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. 

The State Department told Fox News Digital that U.S. citizens may face more difficulty exiting than those who hold U.S.-Iranian dual citizenship.

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"We remind U.S. citizens not to travel to Iran for any reason due to the risk of terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest of U.S. citizens, and wrongful detention," a State Department spokeperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday. "U.S.-Iranian dual nationals must exit Iran on Iranian passports and should be prepared to encounter checkpoints and questioning from Iranian authorities before departing Iran. The Iranian government does not recognize dual nationality and will treat U.S.-Iranian dual nationals solely as Iranian citizens."

"If you plan to leave Iran, the Department has opened a crisis intake form for U.S. citizens in Iran to pass information about consular assistance," the department added. "Due to the limitations of U.S. consular support in Iran, U.S. citizens seeking departure should take advantage of existing means to leave Iran. The crisis intake form and the latest information for U.S. citizens seeking to depart Israel and Iran can be found on our banner page on travel.state.gov."

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State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said during a press briefing on Friday that the U.S. has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans, adding that the administration has offered guidance to thousands of people on how to leave Iran and Israel amid rapidly escalating tensions between the two countries.

"We do not anticipate offering direct U.S. government-assisted departure from Iran," Bruce said. "The Department of State has provided information and support to over 25,000 people seeking guidance regarding the situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Iran."

Americans seeking to depart Iran were advised to use land routes via Azerbaijan, Armenia or Turkey while Iranian airspace remains closed, according to a State Department travel alert. The government may be able to assist American citizens once they exit the borders. 

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The State Department does not have official figures, but thousands of U.S. citizens are thought to be residing in Iran, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Thursday that the administration was looking at different ways to get U.S. citizens out of that country.

"We're working to get military, commercial, charter flights and cruise ships for evac," Huckabee said in an X post.

Fox News' Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.