Flying sneaker ejection ends Liberty comeback
The New York Liberty’s furious late rally was undone in the most unusual way: a thrown sneaker that struck Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey led to Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s ejection and preserved a 93-91 Tempo win.
Officials assessed a technical foul after Laney-Hamilton attempted to return a lost shoe and it hit Mabrey. The technical free throws and the ejection came in the closing stretch, stopping the Liberty’s comeback and prompting sharp criticism from New York’s sideline.
What happened: flying sneaker ejection
The decisive sequence unfolded in the final minute as the Liberty closed a double-digit deficit and were pressing to take the lead. Jonquel Jones lost a sneaker on a play late in the fourth quarter; Laney-Hamilton picked the shoe up and tried to return it to Jones. The shoe instead struck Mabrey, who was moving upcourt.
Referees signaled a technical foul on Laney-Hamilton and ejected her. Because a Flagrant 1 had been assessed to Laney-Hamilton earlier in the game for an exchange with Mabrey, the crew said that prior incident influenced the decision to eject after the shoe made contact. The two free throws from the technical and the ensuing possession preserved Toronto’s 93-91 lead and ended New York’s comeback attempt.
Fourth quarter comeback and key plays
New York entered the fourth quarter down by 16 but chipped away through defensive stops and a string of converted possessions. The Liberty tightened the score with a mix of inside scoring and perimeter makes, drawing within a possession in the late stages.
The momentum swung fully in New York’s favor across multiple possessions in the final minute, with key rebounds and timely baskets forcing Toronto into a tighter rotation. The shoe incident occurred during that surge, at a moment when the Liberty were applying full-court pressure and looking to complete the comeback.
Jonquel Jones’ lost sneaker was the immediate trigger; what had been a routine attempt to return the shoe to a teammate became the game-deciding play when the equipment struck an opponent and officials assessed judgment consistent with prior contact earlier in the contest.
Player and coach reactions
Laney-Hamilton addressed the moment after the game, saying the throw was accidental and that she intended only to return the shoe. “I would never intentionally try to hit someone with a shoe,” she said in postgame remarks, describing the toss as an attempt to get the shoe back to Jones.
Mabrey, who was the recipient of the errant shoe, downplayed the hit in her postgame comments and said she laughed it off while accepting the free throws that followed. “I had to take a couple breaths, but I think she was really just trying to get the shoe back to JJ,” Mabrey said, adding that she was focused on the game and would take the free throw.
Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco was sharply critical of the officiating and the outcome. In his postgame comments he called the call and the ejection “atrocious,” arguing the punishment did not match the action and that the timing effectively decided the game. DeMarco said the crew’s earlier judgment calls — including the Flagrant 1 assessed to Laney-Hamilton — factored into a harsher penalty than he felt the situation warranted.
Replay and officiating context
Officials referenced an earlier Flagrant 1 on Laney-Hamilton stemming from a physical exchange with Mabrey; that prior foul was cited by the crew as a contributing factor in upgrading the shoe strike to a technical-level incident with ejection. League rules give referees discretion to eject a player when cumulative unsportsmanlike actions or a severe single act meet the threshold for removal.
On available replay, the shoe toss appears to have been an attempt to return equipment rather than a deliberate attack, and some observers noted the throw lacked the look of an intentional strike. Still, referees judged that the contact and the earlier Flagrant 1 justified the technical and the ejection. That interpretation — weighing prior contact and the result of the throw — is at the center of the debate about whether the punishment fit the act.
What this means for the Liberty
The 93-91 loss halts the Liberty’s momentum after a hard-fought fourth-quarter rally. While one game is rarely decisive in the standings, the way this result came about — decided by a technical after an unusual play — has immediate competitive and narrative consequences for New York.
Practically, the team must regroup for upcoming games and manage any internal discipline or adjustments. Publicly, the incident raises questions about how officials handle bizarre, split-second events and how prior infractions influence later calls. The Liberty will press forward on the court, but the ending will likely remain a talking point until the league or officiating body weighs in.
The dispute over intent remains unresolved: Laney-Hamilton insists the throw was accidental, Mabrey accepted the outcome on the court, and the officials applied a ruling that referenced an earlier Flagrant 1. Whether the league reviews the sequence or issues additional comment will determine whether this becomes a longer-running controversy.
Source
This account is based on reporting from Fox News and OutKick. Original coverage: Fox News — Flying sneaker gets Liberty star ejected in bizarre finish and related OutKick coverage at OutKick.
FAQ
What happened with the flying sneaker ejection?
Late in the fourth quarter, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton tried to return a sneaker she picked up after Jonquel Jones lost it. The shoe struck Marina Mabrey, and officials assessed a technical foul and ejected Laney-Hamilton, preserving a 93-91 Toronto win.
Why does the flying sneaker ejection matter?
The call ended a significant Liberty comeback and directly affected the final score. It also sparked debate about how officials should judge unusual on-court incidents and whether context or intent should change the punishment.
What happens next?
The Liberty will regroup for upcoming games. Any formal league review, appeal or additional discipline would be handled and announced by the WNBA or its officiating oversight after reviewing game reports and replay.
