# Betnijah Laney-Hamilton

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American basketball player (born 1993)

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton Laney-Hamilton with the New York Liberty in 2023 No. 44 – New York Liberty Position Shooting guard / small forward League WNBA Personal information Born (1993-10-29) October 29, 1993 (age 32) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Listed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Listed weight 166 lb (75 kg) Career information High school Smyrna (Smyrna, Delaware) College Rutgers (2011–2015) WNBA draft 2015: 2nd round, 17th overall pick Drafted by Chicago Sky Playing career 2015–present Career history 2015–2016 Chicago Sky 2015–2016 Perth Lynx 2017–2018 Bendigo Spirit 2018 Connecticut Sun 2019 Indiana Fever 2019–2020 Elitzur Holon 2020 Atlanta Dream 2020–2021 Elitzur Ramla 2021–present New York Liberty 2025 Laces BC Career highlights WNBA champion (2024) WNBA Most Improved Player (2020) WNBA All-Star (2021) WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2020) WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2023) WNBA Commissioner's Cup Champion (2023) Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award (2022) First-team All-Big Ten (2015) Second-team All-AAC (2014) Big East All-Freshman Team (2012) McDonald's All-American (2011) Stats at WNBA.com Stats at Basketball Reference Medals Women's basketball Representing United States World Cup 2022 Australia FIBA Under-17 World Cup 2010 France Team FIBA Americas U16 Championship 2009 Mexico Team

**Betnijah Laney-Hamilton** (born October 29, 1993) is an American professional [basketball](/source/Basketball) player for the [New York Liberty](/source/New_York_Liberty) of the [Women's National Basketball Association](/source/Women's_National_Basketball_Association) (WNBA). She played [college basketball](/source/College_basketball) for [Rutgers University](/source/Rutgers_Scarlet_Knights_women's_basketball).[1]

## Early life and college

Laney-Hamilton started playing basketball at 10 years old, largely due to her mother having played basketball competitively.[2] Laney-Hamilton is the daughter of Yolanda Laney,[3] who played for [Cheyney State](/source/Cheyney_University_of_Pennsylvania) and was also coached by [C. Vivian Stringer](/source/C._Vivian_Stringer). Her closest friends are Aiyannah Peal and Sydni Epps.

Laney-Hamilton attended Smyrna High School in [Smyrna, Delaware](/source/Smyrna%2C_Delaware) 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](/source/McDonald's_All-American_Game).[4]

In her four-year career at [Rutgers](/source/Rutgers_Scarlet_Knights_women's_basketball), 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.[4]

## Professional career

Laney-Hamilton with the [New York Liberty](/source/New_York_Liberty) in 2024

### WNBA

#### Chicago Sky (2015–2016)

On April 16, 2015, Laney-Hamilton was selected by the [Chicago Sky](/source/Chicago_Sky) with the 17th overall pick in the [2015 WNBA draft](/source/2015_WNBA_draft).[5] In her [rookie season](/source/2015_WNBA_season) playing for the Sky, Laney-Hamilton averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 33 games (32 regular season and one playoff).[6]

Laney-Hamilton returned to the Chicago Sky for the [2016 WNBA season](/source/2016_WNBA_season). On June 8, she was ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing her left [anterior cruciate ligament](/source/Anterior_cruciate_ligament) (ACL). The injury occurred during the second quarter of the Sky's June 3 game against the [Washington Mystics](/source/Washington_Mystics).[7]

#### Connecticut Sun (2018)

On February 7, 2018, Laney-Hamilton signed a training camp deal with the [Connecticut Sun](/source/Connecticut_Sun).[8]

#### Indiana Fever (2019)

On February 5, 2019, Laney-Hamilton signed with the [Indiana Fever](/source/Indiana_Fever).[9] In Indiana, she reunited with her former college teammate from Rutgers [Erica Wheeler](/source/Erica_Wheeler_(basketball)).[10] On February 14, 2020, she re-signed with the team on a multi-year contract,[11] however, she was released by the Fever on June 17.[12]

#### Atlanta Dream (2020)

Laney-Hamilton had a breakout season in 2020 with the [Atlanta Dream](/source/Atlanta_Dream); she was named to the [WNBA All-Defensive Team](/source/WNBA_All-Defensive_Team)[13] and won the [Most Improved Player Award](/source/WNBA_Most_Improved_Player_Award).[14]

#### New York Liberty (2021–present)

In 2021 she signed with the [New York Liberty](/source/New_York_Liberty).[15] 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.[16]

She missed the 2025 season due to a knee injury sustained during the offseason.[17]

### WNBL

On July 16, 2015, Laney-Hamilton signed with the [Perth Lynx](/source/Perth_Lynx) for the [2015–16 WNBL season](/source/2015%E2%80%9316_WNBL_season).[18] 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](/source/Adelaide_Lightning) on November 8.[19] On January 13, 2016, she earned Team of the Week honors for a second time.[20] On February 16, she was named WNBL Player of the Month for January.[21] 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](/source/Townsville_Fire).[22] With the win, the Lynx advanced to the WNBL grand final for the first time since [1999](/source/1998%E2%80%9399_WNBL_season).[23] 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.

### Overseas

In June 2019, Laney signed with Elitzur Holon of the [Israeli League](/source/Israeli_Women's_Basketball_Premier_League) for the 2019-20 off-season.

In June 2020, Laney signed with [Elitzur Ramla](/source/Elitzur_Ramla_(women's_basketball)) of the [Israeli League](/source/Israeli_Women's_Basketball_Premier_League) for the 2020-21 off-season.

### Unrivaled

On February 18, 2025, [Laces BC](/source/Laces_BC) signed Laney-Hamilton to a relief player contract.[24] After appearing in just two games, Laney-Hamilton exited the league on March 3 due to an undisclosed injury. During her short playing time, BLH made waves in the league with her aggressive offense and strong defending skills.[25]

## Career statistics

Legend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game TO Turnovers per game FG% Field-goal percentage 3P% 3-point field-goal percentage FT% Free-throw percentage Bold Career best ° League leader

† Denotes seasons in which Laney-Hamilton won a WNBA championship

### WNBA

#### Regular season

*Stats current through end of 2024 season*

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton WNBA Regular Season Statistics[26] Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 2015 Chicago 32 2 12.8 .394 .000 .696 2.1 0.6 0.5 0.2 0.6 2.9 2016 Chicago 8 1 5.3 .167 .000 1.000 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.3 1.0 2017 Did not play (injury) 2018 Connecticut 29 0 9.3 .471 .111 .909 1.7 0.7 0.4 0.0 0.6 2.7 2019 Indiana 34 27 25.8 .362 .303 .581 4.2 1.7 1.4 0.1 1.4 5.6 2020 Atlanta 22 22 33.5 .481 .405 .827 4.9 4.0 1.6 0.1 3.0 17.2 2021 New York 32 32 33.4 .451 .312 .787 4.1 5.2 0.7 0.1 3.7 16.8 2022 New York 9 6 28.3 .422 .379 .875 3.3 2.8 0.4 0.1 2.7 11.2 2023 New York 40 40 30.0 .499 .392 .791 3.3 2.4 0.9 0.1 1.9 12.8 2024† New York 28 25 30.3 .456 .402 .906 4.2 3.3 1.1 0.0 2.4 11.8 Career 9 years, 5 teams 234 155 24.4 .451 .359 .799 3.3 2.4 0.9 0.1 1.9 9.5 All-Star 1 0 16.8 .286 .000 – 1.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 4.0

#### Playoffs

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton WNBA Playoff Statistics Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 2015 Chicago 1 0 2.0 — — — 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 2021 New York 1 1 37.0 .455 .429 .667 4.0 3.0 1.0 0.0 2.0 25.0° 2022 New York 3 3 24.3 .419 .250 .875 4.0 3.3 0.7 0.3 2.3 11.3 2023 New York 10 10 36.1 .473 .365 .733 4.1 3.0 0.8 0.0 2.0 15.2 2024† New York 11 11 27.3 .369 .294 1.000 2.9 2.5 1.1 0.2 1.5 7.0 Career 5 years, 2 teams 26 25 29.7 .432 .340 .806 3.4 2.7 0.9 0.1 1.8 11.1

### College

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton NCAA statistics[27] Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 2011–12 Rutgers 32 11 20.9 .378 .278 .656 3.9 0.9 0.6 0.1 1.6 6.0 2012–13 Rutgers 30 29 31.1 .364 .190 .667 5.0 1.9 1.3 0.2 3.2 9.7 2013–14 Rutgers 35 35 33.8 .435 .300 .747 8.5 2.9 1.3 0.3 2.7 11.8 2014–15 Rutgers 32 32 36.2 .486 .395 .704 10.7 2.9 1.8 0.2 2.9 15.8 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](/source/Jordan_Hamilton_(basketball)), a fellow basketball player.[28]

### 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."[29][30]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Phillips, Carron J. (May 21, 2015). ["Betnijah Laney returns to Delaware with Chicago Sky"](http://www.delawareonline.com/story/sports/2015/05/20/betnijah-laney-returns-delaware-chicago-sky/27690313/). *DelawareOnline.com*. Retrieved June 14, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Perth Lynx – Betnijah Laney Bio"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRLLJHEkyf8). *YouTube.com*. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Frederick, Dave (February 8, 2010). ["Betnijah and Yolanda Laney: A basketball family"](https://www.capegazette.com/article/betnijah-and-yolanda-laney-basketball-family/5914). *capegazette.com*. Retrieved June 14, 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bio_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bio_4-1) ["Betnijah Laney Bio"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924094942/http://www.scarletknights.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/laney_betnijah00.html). *ScarletKnights.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.scarletknights.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/laney_betnijah00.html) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Phillips, Carron J. (April 17, 2015). ["Former Smyrna star Betnijah Laney selected 17th in WNBA Draft"](http://www.delawareonline.com/story/sports/2015/04/16/former-smyrna-star-betnijah-laney-selected-th-wnba-draft/25919155/). *DelawareOnline.com*. Retrieved July 16, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Betnijah Laney-Hamilton WNBA Stats"](https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/l/laneybe01w.html). *Basketball-Reference.com*. Retrieved September 30, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Laney Out With Torn ACL"](http://sky.wnba.com/news/laney-torn-acl/). *WNBA.com*. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Romero signs with Connecticut"](http://sun.wnba.com/news/romero-signs-connecticut/). *wnba.com*. February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Fever Sign Betnijah Laney to Free Agent Contract"](https://fever.wnba.com/news/fever-sign-betnijah-laney-to-free-agent-contract). *fever.wnba.com*. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Byrne, Matthew (May 16, 2024). ["Erica Wheeler has 'family' reunion with former teammate ahead of Fever-Liberty clash"](https://clutchpoints.com/fever-news-erica-wheeler-family-reunion-former-teammate-liberty-clash). *ClutchPoints | Indiana Fever News*. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Fever Re-Sign Betnijah Laney"](https://fever.wnba.com/news/fever-re-sign-betnijah-laney). *fever.wnba.com*. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Fever release Betnijah Laney & Stephanie Mavunga Rejoins Active Roster"](https://fever.wnba.com/news/indiana-fever-release-betnijah-laney). *fever.wnba.com*. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Williams and Laney Land All-Defensive First Team Honors"](https://dream.wnba.com/news/williams-and-laney-land-all-defensive-first-team-honors/). *WNBA.com*. September 29, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["The Dream's Betnijah Laney Chosen WNBA's Most Improved Player"](https://www.ajc.com/sports/the-dreams-betnijah-laney-chosen-wnbas-most-improved-player/HP4HXXKAHRA6VKA4UJSUNFDAC4/). *Atlanta Journal-Constitution*. September 24, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Valenzuela, Sarah (February 3, 2021). ["Betnijah Laney, who once dreamed of playing in WNBA after watching Liberty play, now signed to very team who helped inspire her"](https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/ny-liberty-betnijah-laney-20210203-oooz54owwjcjfciursqb3p2ykq-story.html). *New York Daily News*. Retrieved February 5, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Powell, Jackie (October 14, 2024). ["Betnijah Laney-Hamilton delivers herculean performance"](https://www.thenexthoops.com/features/betnijah-laney-hamilton-herculean-performance-wnba-finals-game-2-new-york-liberty-series-tying-win/). *The Next*. Retrieved October 25, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["Liberty's Laney-Hamilton (knee) to miss season"](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/45150602/liberty-betnijah-laney-hamilton-miss-2025-wnba-season-offseason-knee-surgery). *ESPN.com*. May 14, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["PERTH LYNX SIGN WNBA PLAYER BETNIJAH LANEY"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150719172141/http://www.perthlynx.com/Media/News/perth-lynx-sign-wnba-player-betnijah-laney). *PerthLynx.com*. July 16, 2015. Archived from [the original](http://perthlynx.com/Media/News/perth-lynx-sign-wnba-player-betnijah-laney) on July 19, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["BETNIJAH LANEY NAMED IN WNBL TEAM OF THE WEEK"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160305094336/http://perthlynx.com/Media/News/betnijah-laney-named-in-wnbl-team-of-the-week). *PerthLynx.com*. November 11, 2015. Archived from [the original](http://perthlynx.com/Media/News/betnijah-laney-named-in-wnbl-team-of-the-week) on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["WHITCOMB, LANEY NAMED IN WNBL TEAM OF THE WEEK"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094918/http://perthlynx.com/Media/News/whitcomb-laney-named-in-wnbl-team-of-the-week). *PerthLynx.com*. January 13, 2016. Archived from [the original](http://perthlynx.com/Media/News/whitcomb-laney-named-in-wnbl-team-of-the-week) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["BETNIJAH LANEY NAMED WNBL PLAYER OF THE MONTH"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160220084756/http://www.perthlynx.com/Media/News/betnijah-laney-named-wnbl-player-of-the-month). *PerthLynx.com*. February 16, 2016. Archived from [the original](http://perthlynx.com/Media/News/betnijah-laney-named-wnbl-player-of-the-month) on February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** ["Fire vs Lynx"](http://www.fibalivestats.com/u/wnbl/270584/). *WNBL.com.au*. February 28, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** ["LYNX SMASH FIRE, QUALIFY FOR GRAND FINAL"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160228071847/http://perthlynx.com/Media/News/lynx-smash-fire-qualify-for-grand-final). *PerthLynx.com*. February 28, 2016. Archived from [the original](http://perthlynx.com/Media/News/lynx-smash-fire-qualify-for-grand-final) on February 28, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** Magliocchetti, Geoff (February 18, 2025). ["Another Liberty Star Joins Unrivaled"](https://www.si.com/nba/knicks/new-york-liberty/new-york-liberty-betnijah-laney-hamilton-joins-unrivaled). *[Sports Illustrated](/source/Sports_Illustrated)*. Retrieved February 18, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Magliocchetti, Geoff (March 3, 2025). ["Liberty Stars Step Away From Unrivaled"](https://www.si.com/nba/knicks/new-york-liberty/new-york-liberty-stars-step-away-unrivaled). *[Sports Illustrated](/source/Sports_Illustrated)*. Retrieved March 15, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** ["Betnijah Laney-Hamilton WNBA Stats"](https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/l/laneybe01w.html). *Basketball Reference*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** ["Betnijah Laney-Hamilton College Stats"](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/betnijah-laney-1.html). *Sports Reference*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** @najlaney; (November 16, 2023). ["A few things these past two years have taught me: 1. Keep God at the center of your marriage 2. Praying together is essential 3. Your arms are my favorite place to be 4. Our love language is food 5. I'll love you at your best, your worse, and everything in between Happy Anniversary @jordanhamilton1"](https://www.instagram.com/najlaney/p/CztHAZFSlqZ/). Retrieved January 19, 2025 – via [Instagram](/source/Instagram).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** ["WNBA and the WNBA Changemakers Collective Team Up with Digital Community Platform VOICEINSPORT to Keep Girls in the Game"](https://www.wnba.com/webview/news/wnba-changemakers-voiceinsports-partnership). *WNBA*. February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** Ayala, Erica (February 7, 2024). ["Nneka Ogwumike, Aliyah Boston among 12 players to participate in WNBA's girls in sports mentorship program"](https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/nneka-ogwumike-aliyah-boston-among-12-players-to-participate-in-wnbas-girls-in-sports-mentorship-program/). *[CBS Sports](/source/CBS_Sports)*. Retrieved February 1, 2025.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Betnijah Laney](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Betnijah_Laney).

- Career statistics from [WNBA.com](https://www.wnba.com/player/betnijah-laney/) · [Basketball Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/l/laneybe01w.html)

- [Betnijah Laney at Rutgers](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924094942/http://www.scarletknights.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/laney_betnijah00.html) at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) (archived September 24, 2015)

- [Betnijah Laney](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/players/176569) at [FIBA](/source/FIBA)

- [Betnijah Laney](https://www.instagram.com/najlaney/) on [Instagram](/source/Instagram_(identifier))

v t e New York Liberty current roster 0 Sabally 4 Fauthoux 7 Gardner 9 Allen 13 Fiebich 14 Carrera 18 Astier 20 Ionescu 21 Han Xu 23 Johannès 30 Stewart 35 Jones 44 Laney-Hamilton – Maley Head coach C. DeMarco Assistant coaches C. Paris W. Sheehey A. Wade A. Walters East ATL CHI CON IND NY TOR WAS West DAL GS LV LA MIN PHO POR SEA

v t e 2015 WNBA draft First round Jewell Loyd Amanda Zahui B. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis Elizabeth Williams Cheyenne Parker Dearica Hamby Crystal Bradford Ally Malott Brittany Boyd Samantha Logic Kiah Stokes Isabelle Harrison Second round Brianna Kiesel Cierra Burdick Natasha Cloud Reshanda Gray Betnijah Laney Alex Harden Brittany Hrynko Vicky McIntyre Chelsea Gardner Aleighsa Welch Amber Orrange Žofia Hruščáková

v t e United States squad – 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup – Gold medal 4 Loyd 5 Plum 6 Ionescu 7 Atkins 8 Gray 9 Wilson 10 Stewart 11 Copper 12 Thomas 13 Austin 14 Laney 15 Jones Coach: Reeve

v t e New York Liberty 2024 WNBA champions 0 Sherrod 1 Davis 2 Burke 5 Thornton 8 Sabally 13 Fiebich 18 Dojkić 20 Ionescu 22 Vandersloot 30 Stewart 35 Jones (Finals MVP) 44 Laney-Hamilton Head coach: Brondello Assistant coaches: Lange Hodges O'Brien

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Betnijah Laney-Hamilton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betnijah_Laney-Hamilton) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betnijah_Laney-Hamilton?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.