{"id":749836,"date":"2026-07-08T04:42:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T04:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/749836\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T04:42:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T04:42:12","slug":"betnijah-laney-hamilton-opens-up-on-difficult-liberty-role-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/749836\/","title":{"rendered":"Betnijah Laney-Hamilton opens up on ‘difficult’ Liberty role uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"

The chant started like background noise but gradually amplified. An undeniable chorus of \u201cWe want Laney\u201d chants rang throughout Barclays Center last week as Betnijah Laney-Hamilton sat on the Liberty\u2019s bench.<\/p>\n

Laney-Hamilton never entered the game. But the fan support meant \u201ca lot\u201d to the former All-Star, who\u2019s working to rediscover her groove.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also a little overwhelming with the situation and everything and emotions,\u201d she said Tuesday before the Wings beat the Liberty 88-77<\/a>. \u201cBut it\u2019s something that I don\u2019t take for granted, something that I do really appreciate to just know that the fans continue to have my back through a difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Leonie Fiebich sidelined Tuesday with foot soreness, Laney-Hamilton earned her spot back in the rotation. <\/p>\n

She looked rusty playing in her first game since June 28, finishing with an assist and zero points (0-for-5 from the field) in 15 minutes off the bench.<\/p>\n

Laney-Hamilton took a chance on New York when not many free agents were willing. <\/p>\n

She joined the Liberty when the team was in the thick of a rebuild in 2021. She became a beloved franchise pillar. <\/p>\n

She navigated injuries and poured everything she had into the Liberty during the 2024 championship season.<\/p>\n

Yet Laney-Hamilton\u2019s future is in question, with the Aug. 2 trade deadline approaching fast.<\/p>\n

Asked point-blank if she expected to be with the Liberty through the end of the season, Laney-Hamilton said, \u201cWe\u2019re working on things.<\/p>\n

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton looks to make a move on Paige Bueckers during the Liberty\u2019s 88-77 loss to the Wings on July 7, 2026 at Barclays Center. Michelle Farsi \/ New York Post<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what everything looks like right now,\u201d she added. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to take everything one step at a time and just stay in the moment. It\u2019s been difficult. But today, right now, I feel pretty good. I just want to be able to focus on the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laney-Hamilton\u2019s comeback season has challenged her in ways she hadn\u2019t necessarily expected. She\u2019s done her best to mask any dissatisfaction she may feel regarding her fluctuating role. In the past two weeks, Laney-Hamilton hasn\u2019t played in three games, despite being available.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as a competitor and everything, as somebody who\u2019s worked really hard, somebody who\u2019s been a part of the organization for a long time, it\u2019s \u2026 it can sometimes be disappointing and frustrating,\u201d she said of her role. \u201cBut that\u2019s also part of the process. So like I said, I\u2019m just trying to \u2014 as much as possible \u2014 just come out, be the best version of myself within the circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton defends Paige Bueckers during the Liberty\u2019s loss to the Wings. Michelle Farsi \/ New York Post<\/p>\n

Laney-Hamilton missed all of last season rehabbing from knee surgery. She put in a lot of work behind the scenes so she could enter this year the healthiest she had been for quite some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically, I feel better than I felt in a long time,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd so just taking it a day at a time, working through everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laney-Hamilton went from being a starter to coming off the bench to being out of the rotation. She missed time for personal reasons<\/a> early on, then was sidelined for two games after having an injection in her surgically repaired knee before a June 14 game in Chicago. She\u2019s averaging 17.6 minutes in 15 games (five starts), her fewest since 2018.<\/p>\n

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton defends against Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard during the Liberty\u2019s win over the Dream on June 11, 2026 at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Ga. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Coach Chris DeMarco explained some of Laney-Hamilton\u2019s benchings as the result of him tightening the rotation. He has repeatedly expressed confidence in her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is valuable to us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Laney-Hamilton said she\u2019s discussed her situation with DeMarco and general manager Jonathan Kolb several times.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of different conversations,\u201d she said, \u201cand so now just trying to figure everything out and work through things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her teammates are doing what they can to support her during this difficult season.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust picking her up every day, telling her things that I see that she can do or ways that she can help our team,\u201d said Jonquel Jones, who recently gifted Laney-Hamilton a bottle of Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s SirDavis American Rye Whisky. \u201cObviously, she\u2019s staying ready and waiting for her number to be called and so just pouring into her positively, letting her know I\u2019m there for her. \u2026 Whatever it takes, man. That\u2019s my sister.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The chant started like background noise but gradually amplified. An undeniable chorus of \u201cWe want Laney\u201d chants rang…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":749837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[118209,436,99,434],"class_list":["post-749836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-betnijah-laney-hamilton","tag-new-york-liberty","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=749836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/749837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=749836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=749836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=749836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}