Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is a guard-forward who has emerged as one of the most dominant and versatile players in the WNBA. She was named the WNBA Most Improved Player in 2020, and the Dawn Staley Leadership Award winner in 2022. She also made her first WNBA All-Star appearance in 2021, and led the Liberty to their first WNBA Finals in 2023.
Laney Hamilton was born on October 29, 1993, in Clayton, Delaware. She is the daughter of Yolanda Laney, who was an All-America guard at Cheney State and led the Wolves to a national championship appearance.
Betnijah-Laney-Hamilton comes from a basketball familyImage Source: Instagram Betnijah followed in her mother’s footsteps and played for Smyrna High School, where she earned 2011 McDonald’s, Parade Magazine, and WBCA All-America honors1.
She then attended Rutgers University, where she played for the legendary coach C. Vivian Stringer. She averaged 15.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game as a senior, and became the first player in program history to record 1,000 points, 900 rebounds, 200 assists, and 200 steals in a career2. She graduated with a degree in criminal justice in 2015.
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Laney-Hamilton was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the 17th overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft. She played for the Sky for two seasons, before being waived in 2017.
Laney then signed with the Connecticut Sun but suffered a season-ending knee injury in her first game. She bounced back in 2018 and joined the Indiana Fever as a free agent. She played for the Fever for two seasons and improved her scoring average from 5.6 points per game in 2018 to 11.2 points per game in 2019.
Betnijah-Laney-Hamilton with her teamImage Source: Instagram In 2020, Laney-Hamilton signed with the Atlanta Dream and had a breakout season. She started all 22 games and averaged career-highs of 17.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. She also shot 48.1% from the field, 40.5% from the three-point line, and 86.4% from the free-throw line.
She ranked among the top 10 in the league in scoring, assists, steals, and minutes played. She was unanimously voted as the WNBA Most Improved Player and also earned a spot on the All-WNBA Defensive Team.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is married to Jordan Hamilton, a basketball professional currently affiliated with the Kumamoto Volters in Japan.
Betnijah-Laney-Hamilton with her husbandImage Source: Instagram Their union reportedly took place on June 25, 2022, in a private ceremony, as disclosed by various sources. Remarkably, despite their public profiles, neither Laney-Hamilton nor Hamilton has shared any images or details from their wedding day on their respective social media platforms or online profiles.
In 2021, Laney-Hamilton signed a multi-year contract with the New York Liberty and continued to showcase her skills and leadership. She averaged 19.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, and became the first Liberty player to open a season with eight consecutive 20+ point games4. She also made her first WNBA All-Star appearance and helped the Liberty clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2017.
In 2022, Laney-Hamilton received the Dawn Staley Leadership Award, which honors a WNBA player who exemplifies the characteristics of a leader in the community, as well as on and off the court.
She also averaged 18.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game, and led the league in minutes played with 37.1 per game. She helped the Liberty finish with the best record in the league, and advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2002.
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This passage highlights the adversity that the individual has encountered throughout her career, specifically focusing on setbacks such as being waived by the Chicago Sky in 2017.
Enduring a season-ending knee injury during her debut game with the Connecticut Sun in 2018, and missing out on the opportunity to participate in the 2020 Olympics due to another knee injury. These instances undoubtedly presented significant challenges and obstacles to her career progression and personal goals.
Despite facing these setbacks, the individual has demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination. Rather than allowing these hardships to define her, she has used them as opportunities for growth and improvement. Each obstacle catalyzed her to push herself harder, both physically and mentally, ultimately leading to her continuous development as an athlete.
In 2023, Laney-Hamilton had another stellar season, averaging 20.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. She also shot a career-best 42.7% from the three-point line and became the fourth player in WNBA history to record a triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 24, 2023.
She led the Liberty to their second consecutive WNBA Finals appearance, where they faced the Las Vegas Aces.
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