​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 left the game with 1:48 remaining in the fourth quarter following a play in which teammate Sabrina Ionescu drew a charge. As the officials reviewed the play, Laney-Hamilton hurled a shoe that had fallen from Jonquel Jones moments earlier, and the shoe struck Tempo guard Marina Mabrey in the back. After further review, Laney-Hamilton was charged with a technical foul for throwing a “projectile onto the court,” and the officials immediately ejected her from the contest. Mabrey then shot the technical free throw, which gave Toronto a two-point lead.
Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco expressed frustration after the game, saying, “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.” He added, “The ball is clearly off the defender, and the referee 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. It was atrocious, pathetic. It was pathetic.”
A postgame pool report confirmed Laney-Hamilton’s ejection for throwing the shoe. Referee Kevin Fahy stated, “Betnijah Laney picked up a shoe and threw it at Marina Mabrey, and it hit Marina in the back, so she received her second technical foul and subsequently was ejected from the basketball game.” Laney-Hamilton’s ejection came after a tension-filled stretch for the forward. She had already drawn a technical foul at 3:19 of the third quarter following a dustup with Mabrey, in which Mabrey pushed Laney-Hamilton to the floor. Both players, who had been chippy throughout the game, were penalized with technicals on that sequence. Earlier, Laney-Hamilton also incurred a flagrant-1 foul at 2:08 of the second quarter when she and Mabrey were scrambling for a loose ball; during the scramble, Laney-Hamilton’s arm made contact with Mabrey’s face.
After the game, Mabrey addressed the incident with reporters, saying she did not believe Laney-Hamilton threw the shoe on purpose. Laney-Hamilton seemed to echo that sentiment, indicating she did not intentionally aim to hit Mabrey. “I would never intentionally try to hit someone with a shoe, especially while they’re not looking,” Laney-Hamilton commented. She added that her aim was to help a teammate who was without a shoe at the moment, and she acknowledged the unfortunate outcome of the throw.
The incident sparked discussion about sportsmanship and officiating in a high-stakes matchup, with both teams trading blows in a game that was already tense as the Tempo built a late advantage and held on to win by two. The loss marked a controversial moment absently overshadowing what had been a competitive contest between the Liberty and the Tempo, a game that had featured several notable moments and a few heated exchanges on the floor.