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Liberty Standout Betnijah Laney-Hamilton to Miss Significant Time After Knee Surgery

The defending champion New York Liberty announced that key player Betnijah Laney-Hamilton will be out of action for an extended period of time.
Samara Elster|
Oct 18, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) drives past Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) during the second half of game four of the 2024 WNBA Finals at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) drives past Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) during the second half of game four of the 2024 WNBA Finals at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The New York Liberty announced on Monday that forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton underwent successful surgery on her left knee to repair an acute meniscus injury.

Per the team's release, Laney-Hamilton had the procedure earlier this month and has already begun the rehabilitation process. However, Laney-Hamilton is expected to miss five-to-six months, which will likely have her miss the majority (if not all) of the 2025 WNBA season.

This will be a significant loss for New York as she averaged 11.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 28 games. Since joining the team in 2021, Laney-Hamilton has made an impact and was a critical part of their 2024 WNBA Championship.

Laney-Hamilton's 20 points in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals were instrumental in powering the Liberty to a victory, and obviously New York needed every bit of it given the series went into overtime of a decisive Game 5.

Laney-Hamilton joined Unrivaled in February on a relief player contract and knocked down a game-winner in her debut. Yet her time in Unrivaled ended quickly after she suffered the knee injury.

Laney-Hamilton is now the second Liberty player to have undergone surgery this month. Breanna Stewart had a minor procedure on March 13, also on her meniscus, and is expected to be back for training camp.

New York will begin camp on April 27 and open the regular season on May 17 against the Las Vegas Aces. But the Liberty's attempt at a repeat hit a roadblock with the injury to Laney-Hamilton.

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Samara Elster
SAMARA ELSTER

Samara Elster covers basketball for Women’s Fastbreak on SI. She has extensively covered a variety of the sports teams at Indiana University with a focus on the women's basketball team. Samara has experience as a beat reporter covering the ins and outs of a team and handling the stories that emerge from that role. Her concentration on sports journalism at IU combined with her enthusiasm for the media industry drove her to pursue a career covering sports.

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