Liberty veteran guard/forward Betnijah Laney is getting rewarded for her play and is in New York to stay. The team announced in a press release on Saturday that Laney has signed a multi-year contract extension through the 2025 season.
“We’re beyond excited to extend Betnijah’s tenure with New York Liberty–further positioning the organization for long-term success,” Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said in the release. “What she brings to the team on both ends, as well as intangibly, cannot be understated. There is no doubt in my mind B could see herself in the Liberty Ring of Honor someday as one of the franchise’s all-time greats.”
Finding her home
Since signing with the Liberty in 2021 after a year playing for the Atlanta Dream in 2020, Laney has made her mark in New York. In her first season with the team, she averaged 16.8 points per game and 5.2 assists and led the Liberty to their first playoff appearance since 2017. She also played in her first WNBA All-Star game.
During the 2022 season, Laney struggled with a right knee injury that limited her appearances to just nine games. Still, she averaged 11.2 points per game and came back for the final five games of the season to help propel the Liberty back into the playoffs for the second straight year.
With the Liberty bringing in former WNBA champions and MVPs, including Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot, this past offseason, and a healthy Sabrina Ionescu coming back for her fourth season with the team, Laney’s role with the team this season was unclear. Yet she has proven just how important she is to this Liberty’s success.
Making her mark
This season, Laney has appeared in all 39 contests, averaging 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists and has shot a career-high 50% from the field and 39.5% from three, including a career-best 58 makes.
Much of Laney’s impact on the court does not always show up in the box score. She has made her case for the Defensive Player of the Year, often guarding the opposing team’s star players every night, limiting their shot selection and forcing turnovers.
She consistently hustles, going after loose balls and doing the right things when it counts. The veteran also serves as a leader on and off the court, consistently communicating with teammates and upholding a high standard of play, both in practice and during games.
A defensive force
Laney has notched 22 points in three games this season and has been a catalyst in leading the Liberty to their best record in team history.
After the Liberty narrowly beat the Dallas Wings, 94-93, on Sept., 5, Laney, who scored 22 points, also limited Wings star Arike Ogunbowale to 1-of-7 shooting from the field during the second half. Laney forced Ogunbowale to pass up the last potential game-winning shot with tight defense.
“When we are disruptive and we are aggressive it makes a huge difference and that is something we focused on in the second half,” Laney said about the team’s defensive efforts. “At the end of the game, we knew what was on the line.”
Here to stay
The Rutgers alum is in her seventh season in the league after being drafted as the No. 17 pick in the second round of the 2015 draft by the Chicago Sky. She has since played for the Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever and the Dream before finding her home in New York. In 2020, she was named the Most Improved Player with the Dream and was also named to the All-Defensive First Team.
Laney has already solidified herself as one of the best two-way players in the league. With both her teammates and the organization’s trust in her, Laney is bound to continue to positively impact the Liberty with her tenacious defense and key shots during the team’s 2023 playoff run and into the 2025 season.