Just one season after winning a WNBA championship, the New York Liberty are letting go of head coach Sandy Brondello.
The franchise announced on Tuesday that it will not renew Brondello’s contract.
Brondello learned that she would not be the Liberty’s coach on Tuesday morning, league sources not authorized to discuss the decision publicly told The Athletic, on the same day of New York’s exit meetings.
Brondello, who had been with the Liberty since 2022, leaves as New York’s winningest coach and the lone coach to lead the franchise to a WNBA championship. New York went to consecutive WNBA Finals in 2023 and 2024, winning last year’s championship in a thrilling five-game series over the Minnesota Lynx.
After winning the championship, Brondello agreed to a one-year contract extension with New York, which included a team option for 2026, per league sources.
The Liberty were eliminated from the 2025 WNBA playoffs in the first round on Sept. 19, falling to the Phoenix Mercury in three games.
“We would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact on the New York Liberty,” Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said in a statement. “Sandy finishes her tenure in New York as the winningest coach in franchise history, and she took us to never-before-seen heights as the first head coach to lead the Liberty to a championship. We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter.”
Injuries changed the course of New York’s quest to defend its title. After a 9-0 start, the Liberty went just 18-17, using 18 different starting lineups and receiving limited action from Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, who each missed 13 regular-season games. New York’s vaunted frontcourt became a merry-go-round of lineup combinations.
“There’s no excuses about what kind of effort we put into it,” Brondello said in early September. “And it felt like that was some of our downfall this year. Regardless of who’s on the court, not playing hard enough to get some more wins.”
After New York’s 79-73 playoff loss to Phoenix, Stewart voiced her support of Brondello when a reporter asked about her future.
“This is a resilient group,” Stewart said. “She has our back and we have hers. … The way that she continued to deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible. It wasn’t easy for anybody. But she came in every day with a positive attitude and a mindset to put us in our best position possible and best foot forward.”
Brondello was largely beloved by the franchise’s players and support staff. After winning 16 games in her first season, New York won 32 games in 2023 and 2024 and 27 this year. She joined the Liberty after eight seasons as the Mercury’s coach, making two WNBA Finals appearances with Phoenix in 2014 and 2021, winning one title in 2014. She was also the San Antonio Stars head coach in 2010.
New York is the second franchise to announce a coaching change this offseason, as the Seattle Storm announced they were not renewing Noelle Quinn’s contract. The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are also in the market for head coaches as they plan for their inaugural seasons as expansion franchises.
(Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)
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