Liberty Fire Sandy Brondello One Year After Winning WNBA Title

Sandy Brondello has been fired by the New York Liberty after four seasons. The team said Tuesday morning that her contract would not be renewed.

Her tenure included bringing the franchise its first WNBA title and becoming the winningest coach in the Liberty’s 29-year history, with a regular season record of 107–53. 

“We would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact on the New York Liberty,” Liberty GM 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.”

Brondello also won a WNBA title as the Phoenix Mercury head coach in 2014.

Her firing leaves the WNBA with four current coaching vacancies—including expansion franchises in Toronto and Portland—after the Seattle Storm fired Noelle Quinn on Sunday. The Liberty said in their release that the search for a new coach will begin immediately. 

Multiple sources told Front Office Sports that discussions about Brondello’s future in New York had been ongoing. Similar to last season, the expectation for Brondello was no less than a championship. 

Brondello signed a two-year extension following the Liberty’s title run last year, with the second (2026) being a team option, a source confirmed to FOS. 

Despite Brondello’s record, and clear value in the eyes of her players, there were questions about her ability to maximize one of the deepest rosters in the WNBA and make adjustments after injuries to MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. This notion was compounded by the team’s first-round exit, including a blowout loss in Brooklyn in Game 2 of the series against the Mercury.

Moments after the team lost to the Mercury 79-73 in a deciding Game 3, Stewart and guard Sabrina Ionescu were appalled at the suggestion that Brondello would not be back. 

“The way that she continued to deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible,” Stewart said when asked to respond to those who question if Brondello should remain at the helm of the Liberty. “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.”

As Stewart spoke, Ionescu shook her head in visible disapproval of the idea. 

Now, the question of Brondello’s replacement will take center stage for Kolb who is coming off his seventh season as the Liberty’s GM. Multiple sources told FOS that the Liberty are expected to target candidates with NBA experience.  

The Storm, Fire, and Tempo have already inquired about Brondello, according to multiple sources. The Tempo were further along in their interview process than the Storm and Fire, but Brondello’s availability changes things.

The Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, and Phoenix Mercury are the only franchises in the WNBA with coaches who have more than two years with their current teams. A gulf exists between Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve—who is in her 16th season with the organization—and the next longest-tenured coach, Becky Hammon, who was hired by the Aces in 2021. Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts is in his second season after over a decade as an NBA assistant coach.