Just one season after a championship run, the New York Liberty announced it will not renew Head Coach Sandy Brondello’s contract on Tuesday morning. Her exit comes after the Liberty fell to the Phoenix Mercury, 79-73, in the first round of the playoffs last week.
Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb thanked Brondello for her “everlasting impact” 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,” Kolb said. “We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter.”
This season was vastly different than last year. The Liberty, who play at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, struggled with injuries from star players Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart. Despite big gets Natasha Cloud and Emma Meeseman, the momentum was not enough for them to repeat as champions.
In a press conference, Brondello said the team had faced great adversity during the season, after beginning their season 9-0, but said there was much to learn in preparation for a new season.
Players voiced their support for Brondello following last week’s loss.
“To anyone who questions Sandy being here, this is a resilient group. She has our back and we have hers,” Stewart said. “The way that she continued to deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible. It wasn’t easy for anyone but she came in every day with a positive attitude.”
Before her tenure in New York, Brondello led the Mercury to a championship in 2014. She’d been with the Liberty since 2022.
According to ESPN, the organization will begin its search for Brondello’s successor “immediately.”
