A New York Liberty player, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, was ejected late in a 93-91 loss to the Toronto Tempo after a shoe she threw towards team-mate Jonquel Jones accidentally struck Toronto's Marina Mabrey. The incident happened during the Liberty’s comeback attempt and became a decisive moment because officials called a technical foul and removed Laney-Hamilton from the game. It mattered because the unusual decision immediately affected the closing stages of a tight WNBA contest and prompted strong reactions from players, coaches and fans.

According to the report, New York entered the fourth quarter 16 points behind before rallying, but the incident halted that momentum. Laney-Hamilton had already received a Flagrant 1 earlier in the game, which added to the scrutiny when the stray trainer hit Mabrey. Laney-Hamilton said she was only trying to return Jones’s shoe and did not mean to hit anyone, while Mabrey suggested she believed it was accidental even as she benefited from the free throw. Liberty acting head coach Chris DeMarco criticised the officiating, calling the decision game-altering and saying he had never seen anything like it.