Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (born October 29, 1993) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA). She played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

Early life and college

Laney-Hamilton started playing basketball at 10 years old, largely due to her mother having played basketball competitively. Laney-Hamilton is the daughter of Yolanda Laney, who played for Cheyney State and was also coached by C. Vivian Stringer. Her closest friends are Aiyannah Peal and Sydni Epps. Laney-Hamilton attended Smyrna High School in

Smyrna, Delaware Smyrna is a town in Kent and New Castle counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is part of the Dover metropolitan statistical area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2020, the population of the town is 12,883. The international juri ...

where she averaged 23.7 points, 10 rebounds, 4.4 steals, 4.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game as a senior and was named a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

. In her four-year career at

Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

, Laney-Hamilton played 129 games with 107 starts, and averaged 10.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Professional career

WNBA

Chicago Sky (2015–2016)

On April 16, 2015, Laney-Hamilton was selected by the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...

with the 17th overall pick in the 2015 WNBA draft. In her rookie season playing for the Sky, Laney-Hamilton averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 33 games (32 regular season and one playoff). Laney-Hamilton returned to the Chicago Sky for the

2016 WNBA season The 2016 WNBA season was the 20th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Its regular season began on May 14 when the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings and concluded on September 18, with a Seattle Storm defeat of the Ch ...

. On June 8, she was ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing her left

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

(ACL). The injury occurred during the second quarter of the Sky's June 3 game against the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was ...

Connecticut Sun (2018)

On February 7, 2018, Laney-Hamilton signed a training camp deal with the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...

Indiana Fever (2019)

On February 5, 2019, Laney-Hamilton signed with the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded for ...

. In Indiana, she reunited with her former college teammate from Rutgers Erica Wheeler. On February 14, 2020, she re-signed with the team on a multi-year contract, however, she was released by the Fever on June 17.

Atlanta Dream (2020)

Laney-Hamilton had a breakout season in 2020 with the

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Dream compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the ...

; she was named to the

WNBA All-Defensive Team The WNBA All-Defensive Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) honor given since the 2005 WNBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the WNBA head coaches. who are not allo ...

and won the Most Improved Player Award.

New York Liberty (2021–present)

In 2021 she signed with the

. 2021 was a rebuilding year for the New York Liberty. in 2022, the Liberty were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In 2023, the New York Liberty placed second to the Las Vegas Aces. In 2024, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was sidelined with injuries but proved pivotal to the New York Liberty's starting lineup, with a particularly stellar WNBA Finals Game 2 on the way to the New York Liberty's 2024 WNBA championship. She missed the 2025 season due to a knee injury sustained during the offseason.

WNBL

On July 16, 2015, Laney-Hamilton signed with the

Perth Lynx The Perth Lynx are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play their home games at both WA Basketball Centre, Bendat Basketball Centre ...

for the 2015–16 WNBL season. On November 11, 2015, she was named in the WNBL's Team of the Week for Round 5 after recording 12 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists against the

Adelaide Lightning The Adelaide Lightning are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The club is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, and will play their home games at the State Basketball ...

on November 8. On January 13, 2016, she earned Team of the Week honors for a second time. On February 16, she was named WNBL Player of the Month for January. She led the Lynx to a second place regular season finish with a 16–8 win–loss record, and went on to score a game-high 23 points in the team's semi-final win over the first-seeded

Townsville Fire The Townsville Fire are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The Fire are based in Townsville, Queensland, and play their home games at Townsville Entertainment and Convention Ce ...

. With the win, the Lynx advanced to the WNBL grand final for the first time since

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. There they were outclassed by the defending champion Townsville (who made it to the grand final via the preliminary final), losing the best-of-three series 2–0. Laney-Hamilton appeared in all 27 games for the Lynx in 2015–16, averaging 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

Unrivaled

On February 18, 2025, Laces BC signed Laney-Hamilton to a relief player contract. After appearing in just two games, Laney-Hamilton exited the league on March 3 due to an undisclosed injury.

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

''Stats current through end of 2024 season'' , - , style="text-align:left;",

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 32 , , 2 , , 12.8 , , .394 , , .000 , , .696 , , 2.1 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 1 , , 5.3 , , .167 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style='text-align:left;', ''2017'' , colspan=13 style='text-align:center;', ''Did not play (injury)'' , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, 29 , , 0 , , 9.3 , , .471 , , .111 , , .909 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 0.6 , , 2.7 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, style='text-align:left;',

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 34 , , 27 , , 25.8 , , .362 , , .303 , , .581 , , 4.2 , , 1.7 , , 1.4 , , 0.1 , , 1.4 , , 5.6 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, style='text-align:left;',

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 22 , , 22 , , 33.5 , , .481 , , .405 , , .827 , , 4.9 , , 4.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.1 , , 3.0 , , 17.2 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style='text-align:left;',

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 32 , , 32 , , 33.4 , , .451 , , .312 , , .787 , , 4.1 , , 5.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 3.7 , , 16.8 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, style='text-align:left;',

, 9 , , 6 , , 28.3 , , .422 , , .379 , , .875 , , 3.3 , , 2.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 2.7 , , 11.2 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, style='text-align:left;',

, 40 , , 40 , , 30.0 , , .499 , , .392 , , .791 , , 3.3 , , 2.4 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 1.9 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

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, 28, , 25, , 30.3, , .456, , .402, , .906, , 4.2, , 3.3, , 1.1, , 0.0, , 2.4, , 11.8 , - class="sortbottom" , rowspan=2 style='text-align:left;', Career , style='text-align:left;', 9 years, 5 teams , 234 , , 155 , , 24.4 , , .451 , , .359 , , .799 , , 3.3 , , 2.4 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 1.9 , , 9.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 16.8 , , .286 , , .000 , , – , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 4.0

Playoffs

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, 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , — , , — , , — , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , - , style='text-align:left;',

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, 1 , , 1 , , 37.0 , , .455 , , .429 , , .667 , , 4.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 25.0° , - , style='text-align:left;',

, style='text-align:left;',

, 3 , , 3 , , 24.3 , , .419 , , .250 , , .875 , , 4.0 , , 3.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 2.3 , , 11.3 , - , style='text-align:left;',

, style='text-align:left;',

, 10 , , 10 , , 36.1 , , .473 , , .365 , , .733 , , 4.1 , , 3.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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, 11, , 11, , 27.3, , .369, , .294, , 1.000, , 2.9, , 2.5, , 1.1, , 0.2, , 1.5, , 7.0 , - class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 5 years, 2 teams , 26 , , 25 , , 29.7 , , .432 , , .340 , , .806 , , 3.4 , , 2.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 1.8 , , 11.1

College

, - , style="text-align:center;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:center;", Rutgers , 32, , 11, , 20.9, , .378, , .278, , .656, , 3.9, , 0.9, , 0.6, , 0.1, , 1.6, , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:center;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:center;", Rutgers , 30, , 29, , 31.1, , .364, , .190, , .667, , 5.0, , 1.9, , 1.3, , 0.2, , 3.2, , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:center;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:center;", Rutgers , 35, , 35, , 33.8, , .435, , .300, , .747, , 8.5, , 2.9, , 1.3, , 0.3, , 2.7, , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:center;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:center;",

, 32, , 32, , 36.2, , .486, , .395, , .704, , 10.7, , 2.9, , 1.8, , 0.2, , 2.9, , 15.8 , - class="sortbottom" , colspan=2 style="text-align:center;", Career , 129, , 107, , 30.6, , .426, , .289, , .699, , , 7.1, , 2.2, , 1.2, , 0.2, , 2.6, , 10.9

Off the court

Personal life

Laney is married to Jordan Hamilton, a fellow basketball player.

Philanthropy

In February 2024, Laney-Hamilton joined the WNBA Changemakers Collective and their collaboration with VOICEINSPORT (VIS) as a mentor, "aimed at keeping girls in sport and developing diverse leaders on the court and beyond the game."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Laney, Betnijah 1993 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Israel American women's basketball players Atlanta Dream players Basketball players from Delaware Chicago Sky draft picks Chicago Sky players Connecticut Sun players Indiana Fever players McDonald's High School All-Americans New York Liberty players Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) People from Clayton, Delaware Perth Lynx players Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball players Shooting guards Small forwards Unrivaled basketball players WNBA All-Stars 21st-century American sportswomen