The WNBA always finds a way to deliver drama, but nobody expected a shoe to become the star of the game. In a wild ending between the New York Liberty and Toronto Tempo, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton turned a normal basketball moment into something that looked like it came straight from a comedy sketch.
With just 1:48 left in the fourth quarter, Laney-Hamilton was ejected after throwing a shoe that hit Toronto’s Marina Mabrey in the back. Yes, a shoe. Not a basketball, not a towel, not a harmless little “oops.” A full shoe made its way into the action.
The Liberty were already fighting in a tight game, eventually falling 93-91 to the Tempo. But instead of the final minutes being remembered only for clutch shots and late-game pressure, everyone was suddenly talking about footwear flying across the court.
Laney Hamilton ejected for throwing a shoe at Marina 💀 ? pic.twitter.com/ojCgEqyTtO
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) July 12, 2026
Somewhere, a sneaker company executive probably watched the replay and thought, “We did not design that shoe for this kind of performance.”
It all happened so fast. In a matter of seemingly a few seconds, Jonquel Jones’ abandoned shoe went from sitting under the Liberty’s basket to soaring through the air before hitting Mabrey.
Laney-Hamilton was also assessed a flagrant-1 foul late in the second quarter after her arm made contact with Mabrey’s face while the two scrambled for a loose ball.
This is what Laney-Hamilton had to say about the bizarre incident after the game.
“I would never intentionally try to hit someone with a shoe, especially while they’re not looking. Teammate was without a shoe, so I did my best to try and get it to her. Unfortunately, it did hit someone … I know just by the way that things were going throughout the game that it can look a certain way, but that’s just not something that I would personally do … especially in a moment like that where the game is on the line.”
Basketball is unpredictable. The ball can bounce anywhere. And apparently, so can the sneakers.
