New York Liberty will not renew head coach Sandy Brondello’s contract in 2026

Brondello, who is the winningest coach in the Liberty’s franchise history, led the team to the franchise’s first WNBA championship in 2024. The Liberty will begin the search for its next head coach immediately.

“We would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact on the New York Liberty,” Jonathan Kolb, General Manager, New York Liberty said in a press release. “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.”

While the core of the 2024 squad returned for the 2025 season, the Liberty struggled with injuries to various players, including Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu. They were able to clench the 5th seed in the playoffs, however, they were overpowered by a strong Mercury team lead by Alyssa Thomas.

Following the loss, Ionescu and Stewart were asked by reporters about the team’s future, including if Brondello was fit to lead them in 2026. “What the f–k,” Stewart responded.

The UConn alum continued, “I mean, to anybody that kind of questions [Brondello] being here, this is a resilient group, and she has our back, and we have hers,” Stewart said. “And the way that she continued to kind of, I don’t know, 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.”

While the season was disappointing, Stewart wanted to make it clear to the Liberty’s front office that it wasn’t going to divide the team.

“There’s a lot of us that could have done better this season, but we’re still going to fight and show up for each other every single day, and I think that’s just the most important part. So we have [Brondello’s] back.”

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Liberty assistant coach and offensive coordinator Zach O’Brien told The Next that Brondello is “the most consistent person” he’s ever met. “You never have to guess with her, is she being genuine or not? It’s always genuine. You’re always going to get the real version of her.”

Brondello is also known for her empathy combined with an ability to hold players accountable when needed. “Because she’s been on the inside, she may not know exactly what [players] say here because she’s now a coach, but she’s been there, and she knows what type of conversation is probably taking place,” Liberty assistant coach Olaf Lange said. “So now she has empathy and she understands that. Now she can navigate that.”

This mindset shows up in her coaching philosophy as well. New addition to the Liberty, Natasha Cloud, previously said that Brondello “has a healthy balance of understanding what it means to play at this level, and the expectations, the pressures, all of that, the fatigue of a season.”

She added, “She understands all that, but also understanding where from a coach that she needs to push us to just get into our ass.”

Brondello has become known for her out-of-the-box and instinctive thinking throughout her career, too, and she will do anything it takes as head coach for the team to win. “I’m not afraid to make hard decisions, and whatever consequences come out, they are what they are,” she said. “… What do I feel is best to help us win? That’s my job.”

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Brondello will end her coaching tenure with the Liberty with a 107-53 record. Prior to her stint in NYC, she was the head coach of the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2010 and served as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks from 2011-2013. She then became head coach of the Phoenix Mercury in 2014 until 2021.

Before becoming a coach, Brondello played in the WNBA from 1998 to 2003, suiting up for the Detroit Shock, Miami Sol, and Seattle Storm. She also played for the Australian Opals national basketball team and won three Olympic medals. When her time on the court was up, she became a coach of the team in 2017 and quickly lead them to a silver medal at the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. She also guided them to a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She is set to coach the 2028 team at the Los Angeles Olympics.