In news that was surprising to many across the WNBA landscape, the New York Liberty have decided to shake things up. On September 23, the team announced that they will not be renewing the contract of head coach Sandy Brondello.
âWe would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact on the New York Liberty,â Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb said in a statement. âSandy 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.â
It appeared that anything short of a championship was grounds for dismissal. According to Alexa Philippou of ESPN:
“Liberty brass considered nothing short of a championship to be a success this season.”
Brondello’s 2025 season was marred by injuries across the roster. However, the Liberty believed that there was enough talent to succeed and make a deep playoff run. That deep run ended in disappointing fashion as the Phoenix Mercury beat them in the first round. Now, the franchise begins a new search for a head coach.
What went into the decision to move on from Brondello? I dove into the early reporting and plenty more on the latest episode of Gotta Get Up
As the Liberty begin a new era, they will have to find a coach best fits the organizational philosophy. New York is one of the marquee franchises in basketball and has the resources and cache to attract the best talent. As this situation develops, we’ll keep you posted on all of the latest developments.