The New York Liberty shockingly fired head coach Sandy Brondello just months after her championship parade. Brondello delivered the franchise’s first title in 2024, but a first-round playoff exit to Phoenix this year sealed her fate.
Now, reports link Lakers assistant Lindsey Harding to the vacancy, positioning her as a top candidate to steer New York’s loaded core back to contention.
Is Lindsey Harding Replacing Sandy Brondello?
The Liberty were in a mess, to some extent. Injuries to Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, and a couple of more on-court struggles, were giving them a hard time. With all that was there to handle, the front office found it best to sack the head coach.
Now that Brondello is gone, the Liberty are reportedly hinting at a replacement amid a coaching carousel that already claimed Seattle’s Noelle Quinn. And Harding’s name tops the list for her player development chops and fresh perspective.
On another note, based on the sources I heard from, expect Lindsey Harding to be a strong candidate for the Liberty. She was a finalist for the Mystics' gig last year.
— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) September 24, 2025
However, Harding emerges as a frontrunner to take over the Liberty bench, per The Athletic’s Ben Pickman, who notes she’s among six candidates eyed by GM Jonathan Kolb. Harding, a 2007 No. 1 pick who played for five teams, including New York, transitioned to coaching with the Sacramento Kings in 2022.
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Prior to that, she also earned G League Coach of the Year honors with Stockton in 2023-24. She joined JJ Redick’s Lakers staff this year, interviewing for Charlotte’s head job before landing in LA. Additionally, WNBA insiders view Harding as a “coach-in-waiting,” blending her playing pedigree with NBA polish from Doc Rivers’ Celtics and Kings stints. But whether she will be replacing Sandy or not might take some time.
Liberty Fired Sandy Brondello Despite Players Backing Her Up
While the latest coach hiring sounds interesting, Sandy Brondello’s Liberty ouster blindsided many, especially after stars like Stewart and Ionescu rallied behind her amid a brutal injury wave.
Stewart, who missed 13 games with a knee issue before an MCL sprain in the playoffs, called the decision “shocking” in a Washington Post interview, praising Brondello’s steady leadership through chaos.
The Liberty started 17-6, winning nine straight, but injuries derailed them. Jones’ ankle flare-up, Nyara Sabally’s knee, and Ionescu’s toe limited depth, dropping them to 27-17 and the No. 5 seed.
A 3-1 Mercury loss exposed flaws, including poor 3-point shooting (29%) and defensive lapses, but players insisted Brondello wasn’t to blame, though the front office thought otherwise.