Betnijah Laney-Hamilton's tenure in the Big Apple is over.
The New York Liberty announced on Thursday that they released the 10-year veteran, making her a free agent.
Laney-Hamilton, 32, spent the last four-and-a-half seasons in New York after splitting the first five seasons of her WNBA career between the Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream.
“We want to thank Betnijah for everything she has given to this organization,” said Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb in a press release. “She has been an instrumental part of our success since 2021 and has made a lasting impact on our team, both on and off the court. We’re incredibly grateful for her professionalism, leadership, and the commitment she brought to the New York Liberty every day.”
The former fifth-round pick joined the Liberty in 2021 and immediately broke out as an all-star while averaging 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. It was a successful follow-up campaign after Laney-Hamilton earned the Most Improved Player award in 2020 as a member of the Dream, averaging a career-high 17.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, four assists and 1.6 steals. She'd then make her second all-defence team in 2023 while finishing fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
That momentum was derailed by injuries, however, as Laney-Hamilton missed 12 games in 2024 with lingering right knee pain and then tore her left meniscus in March of 2025, which led to her missing all of last season.
This season, Laney-Hamilton had fallen out of the rotation, last seeing the floor on July 12, when she was ejected from a game against the Tempo in Montreal after tossing a shoe back to teammate Jonquel Jones that inadvertently hit Toronto's Marina Mabrey. She'd been averaging just 16.8 minutes per game through 17 appearances, her lowest playing time since 2018, while posting career-lows of 4.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
Laney-Hamilton holds career averages of 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 44.8/35.2/79.9 per cent shooting splits from the field, distance and free-throw line through 251 regular-season games. During the Liberty's run to a 2024 championship, she averaged 7.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals while starting all 11 playoff games.
“While this decision is incredibly difficult, we believe this will give Betnijah the best opportunity to pursue a larger basketball role," Kolb added. "We wish her nothing but success moving forward, and she’ll always be a member of the Liberty family. As a key contributor to the first championship in franchise history, Betnijah’s legacy with the Liberty is forever cemented.”
In what appeared to be a subsequent move, the Liberty announced that French rookie Marine Fauthoux had been converted onto a multi-year deal. The young guard was on a development contract with New York, averaging 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 14.5 minutes through 11 appearances. She had just one game remaining before reaching the limit of her WNBA eligibility while on a development contract.