New York Liberty ahead Betnijah Laney-Hamilton underwent surgical procedure on her left knee to restore an acute meniscus damage, the time introduced Monday afternoon.
The Liberty reported that Laney-Hamilton is projected to return to basketball exercise in 5 to 6 months, which might imply she’s prone to miss most, if not all, of your complete WNBA season.
Laney-Hamilton has been an integral a part of Liberty since she joined the crew in 2021. This previous season, she averaged 11.8 factors, 4.2 rebounds, and three.3 assists throughout 28 video games.
The 9-year WNBA veteran has performed for the Chicago Sky, Connecticut Solar, Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, and Liberty all through her profession.
It seems that Betnijah Laney-Hamilton suffered the damage throughout her Unmatched tenure
Within the offseason, Laney-Hamilton performed in Unmatched as a aid participant for the Laces, however suffered what was an undisclosed damage on the time. The brand new skilled ladies’s basketball 3-on-3 basketball league introduced shortly after that Laney-Hamilton would miss the remainder of the season.
Shortly after, the Liberty launched a press release to The Subsequent’s Jackie Powell on Laney-Hamilton’s standing: “The New York Liberty are in communication with Unmatched, Betnijah, and her crew. We’re gathering data and figuring out [the] finest subsequent steps with our medical employees. Additional updates can be supplied when obtainable.”
Led by Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty will nonetheless be stacked subsequent season
The Liberty will definitely miss Betnijah Laney-Hamilton subsequent season, as she was an important and confirmed contributor and one of many crew’s elite defenders.
However the offseason acquisition of Natasha Cloud ought to reduce the affect of Laney-Hamilton’s prolonged absence. Cloud is equally an elite veteran two-way participant who averaged 11.5 factors and 6.9 assists for the Phoenix Mercury final season.
Most significantly, Liberty nonetheless have their Huge Three from final yr: 2024 Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, two-time MVP Breanna Stewart, and sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu, along with Leonie Fiebich, who had an excellent rookie season final season.
Nonetheless, Laney-Hamilton is a serious loss. And whereas she’s not formally out for your complete season, the timeline the Liberty supplied signifies she’ll, on the very least, miss most of it, because the WNBA season is about to start in Might and run by October.
