"Shouldn’t have ever played in Unrivaled" - WNBA fans stunned over Liberty's Betnijah Laney-Hamilton injury update

The defending champion New York Liberty will be shorthanded to begin their title defense. Guard-Forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton could miss the beginning of the season and then some after undergoing surgery, reportedly to address a meniscus injury.

She is expected to resume basketball activities in five to six months, according to a report. With the regular season set to tip off on May 16 and end in September, she is set to miss most, if not the entire campaign.

WNBA fans flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to say that she never should have played in Unrivaled's inaugural season.

"Shouldn’t have ever played in Unrivaled. #WNBA," one person tweeted.

"Bae should’ve never played in Unrivaled," another person said.

"Unrivaled needs to run her a check omg," someone commented.

Meanwhile, some fans breathed a sigh of relief due to the Liberty still having depth at her position.

"Makes sense why they loaded up that roster," one person said.

"Damn luckily NYL has wing depth," another person commented.

"Guess this solves the starting roster question and also makes even more sense as to why they traded for Cloud," someone tweeted.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is a valuable player for the New York Liberty, assuming a starting spot since becoming a member of the team. She was an All-Star in her first season (2021) in New York and has been one of their top wing defenders. Last season, she was a part of the All-Defensive second team and was top four in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

She was not among the players who originally joined Unrivaled. However, she later signed on as a relief player for Laces BC. During her time playing there, she appears to have suffered an injury that sidelined her for the entire season.

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New York Liberty wing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton has already dealt with injury problems in the past

New York Liberty wing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton missed several games last season also due to a knee injury. This comes after the 2023 season where she played all 40 regular season and 10 postseason games.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said the reason she was sidelined was for a "clean-up" surgery on her right knee. According to the coach, she had loose bodies in her knee, which prompted the procedure.

In 2022, Laney-Hamilton also barely saw action. She was limited to only nine games and just like now, it's because she had to undergo surgery to her meniscus.

When she's on the court, Laney-Hamilton has shown that she can impact winning on both ends. She's averaged double-figure scoring in each of the last five seasons and her presence on defense has helped New York become championship contenders.