The New York Liberty are parting ways with head coach Sandy Brondello, announcing Tuesday that it will not renew Brondello’s contract for next season.
The move comes one season after Brondello led the Liberty to their first WNBA championship, and four days after the defending champions were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said in a statement: “We would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact. 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 said to The Associated Press: “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 was hired by the Liberty ahead of the 2022 WNBA season after an eight-year run with the Phoenix Mercury, in which Brondello led the team to a championship in her first season. After a rocky first year under Brondello, the Liberty posted two straight seasons with a 32-8 record and won the championship in 2024. In 2023, New York was the WNBA Finals runner-up, before the team went on to win the championship in 2024. This season while the Liberty started strong, winning their first nine game, the team went just 18-17 the rest of the way and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Mercury. Brondello ends her Liberty tenure with a 107-53 record.
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