- The New York Liberty fired head coach Sandy Brondello after a first-round exit, one year after winning the franchise’s first WNBA title.
- Brondello was 107-53 in four seasons in charge of the Liberty.
- It’s another question for New York heading into the offseason, as all of their star players are free agents this summer.
The New York Liberty are not bringing head coach Sandy Brondello back after a first-round exit in the WNBA playoffs. The Liberty are one season away from their first WNBA title.
The team will search for a head coach, but they also have to figure out how to bring back their core, who are all free agents.
Brondello Fired Despite Keeping Liberty Afloat in Injury-Riddled Season
The news was delivered on Tuesday morning, as the Liberty decided not to bring back Brondello for a fifth season.
It was somewhat of a shock as Brondello navigated the Liberty through a tough title defense in which Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones all missed time through injury this season. The Liberty still finished fifth in the WNBA, going 27-17, which was seven games behind Minnesota, whom they defeated in a fiery five-game Finals series. The Liberty really struggled when Stewart missed a month with a knee injury, going 5-9 without the two-time MVP.
The Liberty then fell in three games to Phoenix in the first round, including an 86-60 Game 2 blowout at home after stealing Game 1 76-69 in overtime on the road. But one would think Brondello would have earned one more season after leading the Liberty to their first WNBA title in franchise history last season.
The Australian head coach leaves New York with a 107-53 record in four seasons. Overall, Brondello is 269-181 as a head coach, and has won two titles, in Phoenix in 2014, and with the Liberty in 2024. Brondello is also 40-32 overall in the postseason, including 16-11 with the Liberty
Now, the Liberty have another massive question on their hands as they need a new coach, and a slew of crucial free-agent decisions to make.
The Liberty Have Tough Free-Agent Choices to Make This Offseason
Who knows what the Liberty’s WNBA championship odds will look like heading into next season? They have to replace Brondello. But Stewart, Ionescu, and Jones are all free agents going into 2026. Natasha Cloud and Emma Meesseman are free agents, as well. Out of this group, Ionescu, at 27 years old, is the only one under 31 years old. Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally are the top players who are locked into 2026.
It’s going to cost the Liberty to keep this core together, so general manager Jonathan Kolb has to figure out what the direction of the franchise is. Do they re-sign everyone and make another run at a title? You could argue that only health stood in the way of a strong title defense. Or, do the Liberty break it up, or perhaps build around Ionescu, Sabally, and Fiebich?
It goes to show that nothing is guaranteed in sports, as the Liberty looked set to dominate for the next 2-3 years. Now, they’re on the cusp of watching their team being broken up, starting with their head coach, Brondello.
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