The New York Liberty signed 5 '9 Pau-native French guard Marine Fauthoux to a multi-year deal, as announced in a press release on Thursday. The signing comes after Fauthoux averaged 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 11 games this season. In a separate announcement, also on Aug. 6, the Liberty thanked Betnijah Laney-Hamilton after revealing their decision to release her.
Prior to her new contract, Fauthoux had been selected by the Liberty in the 2021 WNBA draft with the 29th overall pick. She became the first rookie in WNBA history to record 10 points, 10 rebounds and two 3-pointers off the bench in a single game. She scored a career-high 13 points – 10 of which came in the fourth quarter – on July 28 in Los Angeles. Fauthoux is also a two-time olympic medal winning athlete and was named EuroLeague Women’s Young Player of the Year.
On the other hand, the Liberty expressed difficulty in their decision to release Laney-Hamilton.
“We wish her nothing but success moving forward and she’ll always be a member of the Liberty family, " said Johnathan Kolb, New York Liberty General Manager. “As a key contributor to the first championship in franchise history, Betinjah’s legacy with the Liberty is forever cemented.”
Laney-Hamilton has played in 126 regular-season games with the Liberty, averaging 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. She was a member of the team’s 2024 WNBA Finals victory.
The New York Liberty are 32 games into the 44-game regular season, with their next matchup set to take place on Sunday, Aug. 9 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. They currently stand 7th of the 15 teams in the WNBA.
