Betnijah Laney-Hamilton has been awarded on waivers to the Washington Mystics, the team announced Saturday.
The New York Liberty waived the 11-year veteran Thursday after four full seasons with the franchise, including the 2024 season when the Liberty won their first WNBA championship. After missing the entire 2025 campaign while recovering from surgery to repair a meniscus injury in her left knee, she signed a one-year, $400,000 protected veteran contract.
After starting the first four games of the season, Laney-Hamilton's role was diminished substantially. She appeared in 13 more games for the Liberty, starting just one. She was a healthy scratch for eight consecutive games before being waived.
Because the Mystics claimed Laney-Hamilton off waivers, they will pay out the remainder of her $400,000 contract. They had over $1.8 million in cap **** e before acquiring Laney-Hamilton, but had to waive guard Rori Harmon to make room for her on their roster.
The Mystics' decision to claim Laney-Hamilton came down to a desire for a veteran presence as they attempt to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2023, according to a team source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing transaction. The Mystics expect her to come off the bench, but are excited to see what she can contribute as a rotation wing.

#laney #hamilton #waivers #waived

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Lbierty released guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton on Thursday.
Laney-Hamilton was instrumental in the Liberty's 2024 WNBA championship run.
"We want to thank Betnijah for everything she has given to this organization," Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said in a statement. "She has been an instrumental part of our success since 2021 and has made a lasting impact on our team, both on and off the court. We're incredibly grateful for her professionalism, leadership, and the commitment she brought to the New York Liberty every day."
Laney-Hamilton played in 126 regular-season games with New York, averaging 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 ***** ists. She fell out of favor with the new coaching staff this year as she returned from a knee injury that sidelined her last year. She appeared in only 17 of the team's 32 games, averaging 16.8 minutes. She last played on July 12, when she was ejected from the game for tossing a shoe on the court back to teammate Jonquel Jones that hit Toronto player Marina Mabrey.
At home games, Liberty fans would break into chants calling for Laney-Hamilton to play over the last month, including during Wednesday night's win over Seattle.

#hamilton #last #betnijah #instrumental

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton's time with the New York Liberty is over.
The franchise released the veteran wing on Thursday, ending a New York career that saw her earn All-Star honors in 2021 and a WNBA championship in 2024.
This article will be updated with more information.

#liberty #star #time #franchise

Last Updated: Aug. 4, 2026 at 8:34pm ET
2026년. 8월 4일 오전 6:45 New York 시간
By
Chelsey Dulaney
,

#last #updated #dulaney

Is there a NASCAR race today? Date, start time, TV schedule for next Cup Series race originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NASCAR Cup Series had another thrilling race at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week, but this weekend, drivers will rest.
The Brickyard 400 at Indy was anything but a typical race. Part-time driving for 23XI Racing, Corey Heim held off NASCAR veterans Christopher Bell and Joey Logano in the closing laps, sealing a historic win for the 24-year-old.
After several months of consecutive racing, the Cup Series will take a much-needed break this weekend before heading to the Midwest for the Iowa Corn 350 on Aug. 9. Denny Hamlin still leads the overall standings with 886 points, but Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Ty Gibbs are not far behind.
Here's everything you need to know about the next NASCAR race, including TV channel and streaming options for the upcoming Iowa Corn 350.

#corn

Jul. 31—ROCHESTER — With two years remaining in her high school volleyball career, Laney Stellmaker has already decided on her next chapter.
The incoming junior setter for Century High School verbally committed to play Division I volleyball for Southern Illinois University Salukis in Carbondale, Ill, she recently announced on social media.
Once her recruitment opened on June 15, college coaches started reaching out to her. The first week was a whirlwind with Stellmaker averaging four phone calls per day. Her longest call, though, was with SIU.
"It was an hour long, and on the call, I could kind of feel that connection with the coaches," Stellmaker said. "And then I went to camps, obviously. And then after Southern Illinois' camp, I was talking to my dad, and I was like, 'This feels right. I think I want to go here,' and I already had an offer from them. I got it a week earlier, and so the next morning after camp, we made the decision to commit there."
All she needed was three and a half weeks to make her decision. Her campus visit sealed the deal.

#school #already

Last Updated: July. 27, 2026 at 10:43pm ET
2026년 7월 27일 오전 5:27 New York 시간
By
Chelsey Dulaney
,

#york

Liberty trade update may finally deliver resolution to Betnijah Laney-Hamilton disappearance originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is becoming an afterthought for the New York Liberty.
Sure, the Liberty's roster is among the deepest in the WNBA. That is a reality to which first-year head coach Chris DeMarco has alluded several times in recent weeks.
However, Laney-Hamilton's return after a meniscus tear cost her the entire 2025 season has generated more negative headlines than positive ones.
MORE: Wings' Alanna Smith update is a trade plan no one saw coming

#source #york

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ryan Blaney faces a high-stakes weekend in Indianapolis.
He's hoping to put Roger Penske back in victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he'd like to add a second crown jewel win to his resume. At the same time, he's chasing a $1 million pay day — if he finishes ahead of surprise finalist Todd Gilliland in NASCAR's second In-Season Challenge.
Blaney's solution is to simplify matters by sweeping both ******* les Sunday with one amazing Brickyard 400.
"We obviously understand what we're going for with the In-Season Challenge," Blaney said before Friday's short practice. "But at the same time, you're trying to win the race. That's the big one here — and trying to win for Roger at this place is incredibly important in our race shop and to everyone on this team. So I've looked at it as like, just go try to run the best race you can and focus on that."
Blaney heads into race weekend as the favorite in the final round of the challenge. The 2023 Cup champion has strung together 11 consecutive finishes of 11th or better, a feat he's achieved in 17 of 21 races this season. Two weeks ago in Atlanta he captured his second win of the year.

#weekend

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to one of the sport's most iconic venues this weekend as Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the 2026 Brickyard 400.
NASCAR has released the official entry list for Sunday's race, with 39 drivers entered for the annual crown-jewel event. Because fewer than 40 cars are entered, every driver on the list is locked into the field.
Among the notable names is Connor Zilisch, who returns to Cup competition in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet after making his series debut earlier this season. Corey Heim is also entered in the No. 67 Toyota for 23XI Racing, while veteran Casey Mears returns in the No. 66 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports.
The weekend also marks the championship round of NASCAR's inaugural In-Season Challenge, with Ryan Blaney and Todd Gilliland battling head-to-head for the $1 million prize while competing in Sunday's Brickyard 400.
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

#entered #nascar #brickyard #series

Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will mark the 22nd points race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. The regular season is quickly drawing to a close, with three drivers (Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney) already having locked up three of the 16 spots in The Chase.
As always, courtesy to great work by Reddit user scepthan, a The Chase points to clinch tracker has been created to monitor how close your favorite drivers are to making it in.
Let's dive into this week's NASCAR The Chase tracker, looking at how many points the top drivers are from clinching a spot in the 10-race chase ahead of Sunday's race. Right now, we're focused on drivers within 200 points of clinching. However, the final slide shows how many points down drivers ranked 11th through 16th in points are from locking up a spot.
Ty Gibbs is the only Cup Series driver with a shot at clinching a spot in The Chase this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Granted, it's going to take a great showing in the Brickyard 400. Gibbs was 97 points back last weekend, picking up 43 points for the second consecutive race. He did have 54 points at Sonoma and he's recorded 47-plus points five times (COTA, Martinsville, Bristol, Charlotte, and Sonoma) this season, so there's at least a shot of him clinching. Of note, he netted just 16 points last year at the Brickyard thanks to a 21st-place finish. We'd bet he clinches in Iowa on Aug. 9.
Related: Brickyard 400 Entry List

#season #indianapolis

There's a lot to talk about after last weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta.
The three-hour rain delay and 2 a.m. checkered flag. The three-man overtime battle for the lead, which resulted in Ryan Blaney's win by 0.068 seconds. Bubba Wallace's controversial penalty.
But how about the In-Season Challenge?
It acted as a secondary storyline Sunday, but the bracket has slimmed down to just four contestants following the third of five rounds. A champion will be crowned over the next two weeks at North Wilkesboro and Indianapolis.
Buy our Dale Earnhardt book here

July 13 (UPI) -- New York Liberty guard/forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ejected during an eventual loss to the Toronto Tempo after she hit guard Marina Mabrey with a shoe.
The incident happened with 1:48 remaining in the 93-91 setback Sunday in Montreal. Laney-Hamilton, who picked up an initial technical foul earlier in the game for a separate incident with Mabrey, said she did not intend to hit her opponent with the shoe.
"I would never intentionally try to hit someone with a shoe, especially while they're not looking," Laney-Hamilton said, according to the New York Post. "Teammate was without a shoe, so I did my best to try and get it to her. Unfortunately, it did hit someone."
Laney-Hamilton was on the bench during the incident. She hit Mabrey in the back with the shoe, which came off teammate Jonquel Jones' foot.
"She was trying to get the shoe back to J.J.," Liberty coach Chris DeMarco told reporters. "It hit somebody. I think we are just making stuff up. ... I just know it was an atrocious end to that game from the officials."

Ryan Blaney dominated before and after a 3-hour weather delay on July 12 and 13 at EchoPark Speedway.
But he still had to make a final-lap pass for the win on the drafting track via a major push from Christopher Bell to claim the Quaker State 400 NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta.
Carson Hocevar held the lead at the white flag, but Blaney and Bubba Wallace made runs into turns 3 and 4 to create a 3-wide race to the line.
Blaney won, while Wallace was penalized for going below the yellow line on the backstretch. Hocevar finished 3rd, singing on the radio before the overtime finish and during his post-race interview.
Here are the winners and losers from the NASCAR Atlanta race:

Ryan Blaney dominated before and after a 3-hour weather delay on July 12 and 13 at EchoPark Speedway.
But he still had to make a final-lap pass for the win on the drafting track via a major push from Christopher Bell to claim the Quaker State 400 NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta.
Carson Hocevar held the lead at the white flag, but Blaney and Bubba Wallace made runs into turns 3 and 4 to create a 3-wide race to the line.
Blaney won, while Wallace was penalized for going below the yellow line on the backstretch. Hocevar finished 3rd, singing on the radio before the overtime finish and during his post-race interview.
Here are the winners and losers from the NASCAR Atlanta race:

Ryan Blaney relayed what most people were thinking.
"Past my bedtime," he said during his post-race interview, with the clock just 10 minutes away from 2 a.m. in Hampton, Georgia.
But he made the long day worth it.
Buy our Dale Earnhardt book here
The Team Penske driver dominated the Quaker State 400 and shook off a three-hour weather delay in the process. He claimed the first two stages, led a race-high 171 laps and **** ed the checkered flag in overtime at EchoPark Speedway.

Ryan Blaney earned his 19th career NASCAR Cup victory, winning from pole position at Atlanta in a three-wide battle. Blaney also swept both stages, dominating most of the event.
Bubba Wallace finished second, but was later penalized for advancing his position below the yellow line. That penalty dropped him down to 29th as the last car on the lead lap.
Christopher Bell was ultimately credited with second, Carson Hocevar third, Ty Gibbs fourth, and Erik Jones fifth.
Shane van Gisbergen finished sixth, matching his finish from this race earlier in the year. Austin Dillon was seventh, Tyler Reddick eighth, Joey Logano ninth, and Chris Buescher tenth.
Impressively, 29 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap in Sunday's race, which ended just before 2am EST on Monday due to a lengthy weather delay.

Ryan Blaney turned in one of the most commanding performances of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season Sunday night, overcoming a lengthy weather delay to capture the victory in the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. The triumph marked Blaney's second win of the season and further solidified his place among the championship favorites.

After severe weather halted the race for three hours, NASCAR resumed competition at approximately 11:45 p.m. ET. The late-night restart did nothing to slow Blaney, who remained the driver to beat from the opening green flag to the final lap.

Starting from the pole, the Team Penske driver dominated the evening, sweeping all three stages and leading a race-high 171 laps. Blaney controlled the pace throughout the race, showcasing the speed of the No. 12 Ford while expertly navigating the pack on the high-speed drafting track.

Despite several late-race challenges and an overtime finish, Blaney stayed composed. He made the decisive pass on the final lap to secure the victory, capping off one of the most complete performances of his NASCAR Cup Series career.

EchoPark Speedway once again delivered dramatic racing, but on this night it belonged to Ryan Blaney. From winning Stage 1 before the rain, returning after the race resumed at 11:45 p.m. ET to capture Stage 2, claiming Stage 3, and ultimately taking the checkered flag, Blaney put together a nearly flawless performance that left little doubt about who had the fastest car.
Check out the latest articles from EasySportz

Ryan Blaney vaulted into NASCAR Cup Series regular-season ***** le contention with the Quaker State 400 victory on July 13 at EchoPark Speedway.
Blaney claimed the victory after a 3-hour red flag weather delay.
The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford is now 65 points behind points leader Denny Hamlin with six races to go before the Chase.
Erik Jones remained in 16th after a top-5 finish, just ahead of top-10 finisher Joey Logano.
Here's the updated NASCAR Cup Series points standings:

Ryan Blaney vaulted into NASCAR Cup Series regular-season ***** le contention with the Quaker State 400 victory on July 13 at EchoPark Speedway.
Blaney claimed the victory after a 3-hour red flag weather delay.
The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford is now 65 points behind points leader Denny Hamlin with six races to go before the Chase.
Erik Jones remained in 16th after a top-5 finish, just ahead of top-10 finisher Joey Logano.
Here's the updated NASCAR Cup Series points standings:

Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Atlanta race in overtime on July 12.
Blaney held off Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell in the Quaker State 400, which was delayed by more than three hours due to rain and did not finish until well past midnight CST at EchoPark Speedway.
It was Blaney's second win of the season.
NASCAR ATLANTA LIVE UPDATES: NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta: Live updates, highlights, leaderboard for the Quaker State 400
Results not official

Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell and Todd Gilliland advanced to the NASCAR in-season challenge tournament following the Quaker State 400 Cup Series race on July 13 at EchoPark Speedway.
Elliott and Gilliland will battle next week at North Wilkesboro for one finalist spot, while Bell and Blaney will do the same for the other finalist spot.
Among those left are two top-four seeds, a 10-seed and the 25-seed in Gilliland.
Blaney claimed the race win at Atlanta, his second of the season.
Here's the NASCAR in-season tournament challenge results for the quarterfinals:

Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell and Todd Gilliland advanced to the NASCAR in-season challenge tournament following the Quaker State 400 Cup Series race on July 13 at EchoPark Speedway.
Elliott and Gilliland will battle next week at North Wilkesboro for one finalist spot, while Bell and Blaney will do the same for the other finalist spot.
Among those left are two top-four seeds, a 10-seed and the 25-seed in Gilliland.
Blaney claimed the race win at Atlanta, his second of the season.
Here's the NASCAR in-season tournament challenge results for the quarterfinals:

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced repeat winners, first-time winners, road course specialists, superspeedway surprises, and dramatic late-race battles. Tyler Reddick has emerged as the season's winningest driver through the opening 20 races, while drivers like Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Shane van Gisbergen, Carson Hocevar, and Daniel Suárez have all added victories of their own.
Here's a complete look at every Cup Series winner so far in 2026.
Winner: Tyler Reddick (Toyota)
Reddick opened the season with the biggest victory in NASCAR, winning the Daytona 500 after starting 26th. He led just one lap, but it was the only one that mattered as he edged Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the finish.
Started: 26th

MONTREAL (AP) — Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was tossed from the New York Liberty's 93-91 loss to Toronto on Sunday after she threw a shoe that hit Tempo player Marina Mabrey in the back late in the fourth quarter.
Laney-Hamilton was trying to get the sneaker back to teammate Jonquel Jones after it had fallen off. The errant toss ended up hitting Mabrey. After a review, the officials gave her a technical foul — her second of the game — for throwing a "projectile on the court."
The incident occurred with 1:48 left in the game and after Mabrey hit the free throw, Toronto had a 91-89 lead. The Liberty had rallied from 20 points down before falling short.
"I've never seen anything like that. We had all the momentum in the world. A shoe hit somebody. Ejected, free throws. I've also never seen a ref make such an atrocious call when he's on the other side of the floor," Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said after the game.
The pool report didn't mention intent, just that the shoe hit Mabrey in the back and Laney-Hamilton was given the technical.

About halfway through Stage 2, a lightning strike within eight miles of EchoPark Speedway forced NASCAR to red flag the race, bringing the field of 38 cars down pit road.
There were no incidents in the first 109 laps of the race and all cars were still running. The race needs to reach Lap 131 to be official as that is the halfway point of the event.
There are thunderstorms in the area, and rain began to fall after the cars were stopped on pit road.
Ryan Blaney was leading the race at the time of the stoppage, with Bubba Wallace second, Tyler Reddick third, Christopher Bell fourth, and Chase Elliott fifth.
Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Carson Hocevar, Joey Logano, and Ty Gibbs fill out the remainder of the top ten.

The Quaker State 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta is under a red flag for lightning after 109 laps.
The race was halted under a lightning hold at 8:25 p.m. Eastern/7:25 p.m. Central, with a storm cell near the track in Hampton, Georgia.
No rain had fallen at the time of the red flag, but did fall a few minutes after the race was paused.
Despite a dicey weather forecast, the race began on time just after 7:15 p.m. Eastern.
Ryan Blaney is the leader.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton did not finish the New York Liberty's 93-91 loss to the Toronto Tempo after being ejected for throwing a shoe.
Laney-Hamilton exited the matchup at the 1:48 mark of the fourth quarter following a play where teammate Sabrina Ionescu drew a charge. As the play was stopped for review, Laney-Hamilton threw a shoe that Jonquel Jones had lost moments before. The shoe hit Tempo guard Marina Mabrey in the back.
After further review, Laney-Hamilton was ***** sed a technical foul for throwing a "projectile onto the court" and was ejected from the game. The technical was her second of the matchup, warranting the automatic ejection. Mabrey shot the technical free throw after Laney-Hamilton left the court, putting Toronto up two.
"I've never seen anything like that. We had all the momentum in the world. A shoe hit somebody. Ejected, free throws. I've also never seen a ref make such an atrocious call when he's on the other side of the floor," Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco said postgame."The ball is clearly off the defender and (the referee) comes over and overturns and gives the ball back to the Tempo. Then again, I've never seen one of the best players to ever play in this league attack the rim and get fouled, and absolutely no call. Atrocious, pathetic. It was pathetic."
More: Toronto Tempo draw record WNBA regular-season crowd in Montreal

A near-comeback from the New York Liberty over the Toronto Tempo was foiled, in part, by a baffling technical foul. With less than two minutes left to play, Liberty guard-forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ejected after throwing Jonquel Jones' shoe at Marina Mabrey.
Jones had lost her shoe on an early play, while Laney-Hamilton was not on the court at the time, having been subbed out at the start of the fourth quarter. It is likely that Laney-Hamilton was trying to get the shoe back to Jones, but missed — rather than found — her target.
Regardless of intention, the shoe squarely found Mabrey's back, prompting the Tempo guard to have to be held back by Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu. Laney-Hamilton was given a technical foul and ejected from the game, while Mabrey earned one free throw for the tech, which she nailed.
New York, which had trailed Toronto throughout most of the game, outplayed the Tempo in the fourth quarter on the way to a potential comeback, but Toronto went on to win the game 93-91. Mabrey's free throw alone wasn't the difference in the Liberty's loss, but the disruption may have affected the team's momentum.
In his postgame press conference, New York head coach Chris DeMarco aired his frustrations about the officiating, which he blamed for the narrow loss.

HAMPTON, Ga. — Team Penske Fords claimed the front row spots for Sunday night's NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway.
Ryan Blaney won the pole with a lap time of 30.815 seconds at 179.912 mph on Saturday.
Blaney's teammate, Joey Logano, was second with a lap time of 30.851 seconds at 179.702 mph.
"Feels good to have a Penske front row," Blaney said, adding he also can work well with other Ford drivers. "Hopefully we'll be able to get organized at some point but it's nice that Joey and I are starting at the front."
Blaney is third in the Cup Series points race. Points leader Denny Hamlin and second-place Tyler Reddick qualified 28th and 31st, respectively, in their 23XI Racing Toyotas.