Liberty will have to defend title without Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
The Liberty’s core took a big hit, just months before the team’s 2025 title defense was about to start.
Forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton underwent surgery on her left knee to repair an acute meniscus tear earlier this month, the Liberty announced Monday.
She has started the rehabilitation process, but isn’t expected to return to basketball activities for approximately five to six months, meaning she will miss most — if not all — of the WNBA season.
The Liberty are set to begin WNBA training camp April 27 before opening their season May 17 against the Las Vegas Aces.
The regular season ends Sept. 11, around the end of the five-to-six-month timeline, and the playoffs run through October.
Laney-Hamilton suffered the injury earlier this month while filling in as a reserve player at Unrivaled, a new three-on-three women’s basketball league that wrapped up its inaugural season two weeks ago.
It’s another tough setback for Laney-Hamilton, who missed 10 games last season due to knee issues.
The 31-year-old underwent what Sandy Brondello called a “clean-up” knee surgery last July.
She returned after the Olympic break, but was sidelined again after she reinjured her knee in a collision with teammate Jonquel Jones.
It took time for Laney-Hamilton to settle back in. Her best performance was in Game 2 of the Finals, when she dropped 20 points in the Liberty’s win against the Minnesota Lynx.
In 28 games (25 starts), Laney-Hamilton averaged 11.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Laney-Hamilton, joined Unrivaled in February as a relief player, starting with the Laces, who are coached by new Liberty assistant Andrew Wade. She dazzled in her debut, knocking down a game-winner. But her time in Miami was short-lived.
Laney-Hamilton is the second Liberty player to have undergone surgery this month and fourth to have an offseason procedure.
After wrapping up Unrivaled earlier this month, Breanna Stewart underwent a scope on her right meniscus.
Marine Johannes had left ankle surgery in November. And Sabrina Ionescu had a procedure done on her thumb in early December after hurting it during the WNBA Finals.
Johannes and Ionescu have already made their returns to the court, and Stewart is expected to be good to go for training camp.
With Laney-Hamilton out, the Liberty likely will turn to Leonie Fiebich to start at small forward.
Last season as a rookie, Fiebich averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 43.3% from 3-point range.
She jumped into the starting lineup for Courtney Vandersloot in the playoffs and became a critical part in the team’s run.
The 6-foot-3 German wing, who finished second in sixth player of the year voting, averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She also converted on 52.1% of her 4.4 attempts from 3-point land per game.
Based on how last season ended, Fiebich seemed destined for a bigger role with the Liberty this season. Laney-Hamilton’s injury opens the door for Fiebich to be a regular starter.
Recently acquired Natasha Cloud also seems poised for a starting role.
The Liberty traded two first-round picks to the Connecticut Sun for Cloud earlier this month. The nine-year veteran and 2019 WNBA champion has earned three All-Defensive team selections, including two in the past three seasons.
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