New York Liberty fans can relate to the emotional rollercoaster that Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was on during the final minutes of the decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
A WNBA veteran, Laney-Hamilton had played in big games before, but nothing matched the nerves she experienced on Oct. 20. In a tightly contested game that went to overtime, the Liberty ultimately pulled through to defeat the Minnesota Lynx to clinch the team’s first-ever title.
With a trophy on the line in the Liberty’s second straight Finals appearance, the stakes were unmatched for Laney-Hamilton and her teammates.
“I remember I was sitting next to [Courtney Vander]sloot and we’re just like, ‘What’s going on?’” Laney-Hamilton told Sports Illustrated. “I’m like, my stomach hurts. She can’t look, then I can’t look. And so just going through all of those emotions, but then it’s like we have to look, like we have to see what's going on.”
As the longest-tenured Liberty player alongside Sabrina Ionescu, Laney-Hamilton had a front-row seat to New York’s ups and downs over the last four seasons. This year saw landmark viewership and attendance numbers, but the Liberty guard/forward remembers the days of smaller crowds and less media attention just as prominently.
“When we first started at Barclays [Center] together, we didn’t have the crowd that we have with all of the support,” Laney-Hamilton says. “We didn’t have the team that we have and being able to contend the way that we can now, but we’ve just continued to push and grow together as players, as teammates, as members of this organization.”
Laney-Hamilton knows that the Liberty’s championship does not come without the foundation laid by franchise greats. Former players such as Teresa Weatherspoon attended Game 5 at Barclays Center and also participated in the team’s celebrations throughout the following week.
The trophy is all the more meaningful knowing the sacrifices that came throughout the 27 years prior.
“They paved the way for us and we wouldn’t be here without them,” Laney-Hamilton says. “And so, for us to be on this journey together and do this for New York, for ourselves, for our family, for the organization, it really means a lot to do it alongside them.”
Beyond the support shown by fans and former players, Laney-Hamilton also reflects on how far the WNBA has come in terms of endorsements. Being supported by brands like Adidas, Laney-Hamilton appreciates how sponsors have stood by her during her career and are showing up for athletes in the WNBA.
“When I first came into the league, endorsement and partnership wasn’t something that I really thought of or that I thought was going to happen,” Laney-Hamilton says. “So then when it did and then to have [Adidas] to just be able to support me and, and amplify me… To just have their support, have them continue to show up for me in these moments, it really means a lot.”
From celebrations that included a New York ticker-tape parade, a fan event at Barclays Center and more, nothing about the Liberty’s championship moment is lost on Laney-Hamilton. She knows how far the team has come, and how it now has the tools to beat the best.
Even in the team’s toughest times, Laney-Hamilton knew it was possible. A nerve-filled championship run later, it’s now a reality.
“This is something coming in that we talked about,” Laney-Hamilton says about her and Ionescu in 2021. “We had this vision with our GM, with the organization, that we want to win a championship. We wanted to bring a championship to New York.
“And so we set our standard. We continued to chip away at it year after year and we came very close last year. … That gave us a lot of hope to be able to be here this year and finally come through with a championship.
“It’s been really special.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Betnijah Laney-Hamilton's Title With Liberty Was the Culmination of All That Came Before.