New York Liberty Part Ways With Sandy Brondello After Four Seasons

Just one year removed from guiding the New York Liberty to their first WNBA championship, Sandy Brondello is out as head coach.

The Liberty announced Tuesday morning that Brondello’s contract would not be renewed, ending her four-year tenure that produced a 107–53 regular-season record and a title in 2024.

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

A Championship Legacy and Sudden Exit

Brondello’s dismissal comes after a season that began with a franchise-best nine straight wins but unraveled down the stretch. New York slipped to a fifth-place finish and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs on Sept. 19, losing to the Phoenix Mercury in three games.

Following the season-ending defeat, Brondello acknowledged the disappointment but praised her players’ fight.

“We faced a lot of adversity this year, which happens in pro sports, but we left it all out there,” Brondello said. “And that’s all you can ask of a team.”

Brondello, 57, took over the Liberty in 2022. After an initial 16–20 season, the franchise was reshaped around Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones. The Liberty reached back-to-back Finals in 2023 and 2024, capturing the championship last year by defeating the Minnesota Lynx in a five-game series.

Her résumé also includes a championship with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014. She ranks sixth on the WNBA’s all-time wins list.

INBOX:

The New York Liberty announced today that head coach Sandy Brondello’s contract will not be renewed for the 2026 season.

— Sara Jane Gamelli (@SaraJGamelli) September 23, 2025

Support From Liberty Players

Stewart, who had carried the Liberty through much of the year until she was limited by a knee injury, emphasized how much respect Brondello earned by keeping the group steady. The former UConn star noted that even as the team slid from a franchise-best start to a disappointing fifth-place finish, Brondello never let her demeanor or commitment to the players waver.

“The way that she continued to kind of, I don’t know, deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible,” Stewart said. “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… She has our back and we have hers.”

Q: “What would you say to those who question whether Sandy should be here next year to coach you guys again?”

Breanna Stewart: “What the f**…To anybody that questions Sandy…She has our back and we have hers…” pic.twitter.com/2b4lEbZcYf

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 20, 2025

Natasha Cloud, in her first season with New York, echoed the sentiment and was even more forceful in her defense of Brondello. Cloud highlighted how the coach’s steady presence helped hold the locker room together through the adversity of losing key players such as Stewart and Jonquel Jones for extended stretches.

“Sandy did an amazing job this year of getting us through injuries, keeping us together, staying optimistic and positive,” Cloud said. “Sandy is one of the winningest coaches in this f—ing league. … Every player loves her. So, I’m holding Sandy’s back. She has my back. She has every one of our backs. There’s a lot of good things that she’s done. There’s a lot of things that we could have done better as a team. But there will never be any finger pointing in this locker room. We’re going to have each other’s back.”

What’s Next

Brondello’s exit adds to a busy coaching carousel. The Seattle Storm parted ways with Noelle Quinn on Sunday, while two incoming expansion franchises — Toronto and Portland — are also searching for coaches.

Potential candidates for the Liberty include assistant coach Sonia Raman, Indiana Fever assistant Brian January, and Baylor coach Nikki Collen.

Brondello’s husband, Olaf Lange, served as a Liberty assistant and is expected to depart as well.

For now, New York turns the page after a season that fell short of championship aspirations, while Brondello’s reputation as one of the league’s most respected leaders ensures she likely will not be out of a job for long.

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