inside the liberty Why Betnijah Laney-Hamilton will be cherished in Liberty lore — and why abrupt exit happened now By Madeline Kenney Published Aug. 7, 2026, 12:15 p.m. ET Betnijah Laney-Hamilton speaks during a ceremony in honor of the New York Liberty's WNBA championship at City Hall on Oct. 24, 2024. AP Betnijah Laney-Hamilton didn’t get the standing ovation she deserved.
The news of her departure from the Liberty, an organization to which she gave so much, was shared via a press release Thursday.
It’s not totally surprising Laney-Hamilton was cut after the trade deadline. She didn’t play in eight consecutive games despite being available.
Meanwhile, Marine Fauthoux, a developmental player who would have been limited to 12 regular-season games (and excluded from the postseason), had cemented herself as a part of the rotation and had only one game left. Evidence pointed to the Liberty converting Fauthoux to a standard contract, which meant someone had to go.
