NEW YORK — (AP) — The New York Liberty will not renew coach Sandy Brondello’s contract for next season, the organization announced Tuesday.
Brondello led the Liberty to its first WNBA championship in 2024, but the team struggled with injuries to star players Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu this year. New York earned the No. 5 seed in the playoffs and lost in the first round to the Phoenix Mercury.
“It has been a privilege to have coached the NY Liberty these last four years. Bringing the first ever championship to New York will always be the most amazing feeling. I wish the team and organization more success moving forward,” Brondello said to The Associated Press in a text message.
Brondello went 107-53 in her four seasons with the team, giving her the most wins in franchise history. The Liberty got off to a franchise-best start, winning nine straight games, only to stumble over the next few months as injuries took their toll.
“We would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact on the New York Liberty,” Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said. “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.”
She had her players' support after the team lost in the playoffs last week.
"To anybody that kind of questions Sandy being here, this is a resilient group," Stewart said after the Game 3 loss to Phoenix last week. "And she has our back and we have hers. The way that she continued to kind of 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 positions possible and best foot forward."
Before coming to New York, Brondello led the Phoenix Mercury to a championship in her eight seasons with that team. She was hired before the 2022 season by the Liberty after she helped the Mercury reach the WNBA Finals in 2021.
“I think Sandy’s done a great job. It’s an unfortunate part of our business,” Indiana coach Stephanie White said. “She does it not only from a great standpoint in terms of wins and losses, but in a way that leads with grace and leads with dignity and values the game and players in this game.”
New York lost in the finals to Las Vegas in 2023 before winning the championship last year in a decisive Game 5 overtime victory over Minnesota.
“I didn’t love it for Sandy, I’m gonna have to be honest,” Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon said Tuesday. “She’s just won a championship. She’s won in other places, and I know her to be a quality coach and a quality person. Those are rare sometimes to get that mixture of qualities as a head coach.”
Brondello will be a top target for other head coaching vacancies throughout the league. Seattle just let go of Noelle Quinn on Sunday. Portland and Toronto both enter the league next year and haven't named a coach yet.
“As we’ve seen the business grow, we’ve seen the stakes grow higher. I think Sandy’s a heck of a coach, and Sandy will land on her feet like she always does," Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. "I think I am absolutely thrilled if I am Seattle, Toronto and Portland that I was just gifted a championship-level coach. Though we’re competitors, I think a lot of Sandy personally and professionally.”
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AP Sports Writers Mark Anderson in Las Vegas and Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
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