The New York Liberty’s 2025 season wrapped with a bitter first-round playoff exit to the Phoenix Mercury. It capped a year of injuries and inconsistency that left fans questioning the direction. And much of that was put on head coach Sandy Brondello.
While she was facing harsh criticism for what she couldn’t achieve at the franchise this year, Breanna Stewart fiercely defended Brondello despite the Liberty’s playoff exit. But now, as things currently stand, NY has cut off ties with Sandy.
New York Liberty Fired HC Sandy Brondello
Just one season after their championship parade, the Liberty parted ways with head coach Sandy Brondello on September 23, a surprising move given her role in ending the franchise’s 28-year drought. Brondello’s departure came amid a bold reset for a team that started hot but faded fast, dropping 11 of its final 21 games amid a slew of key absences.
Brondello’s firing comes amid a wave of coaching shakeups, with the Seattle Storm also cutting ties with Noelle Quinn days earlier. For New York, the decision goes a little deeper than just the pressure to defend a title in a league exploding with talent and expectations.
BREAKING: After four seasons with the Liberty—including winning a title in 2024—Sandy Brondello is out as head coach.
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) September 23, 2025
As GM Jonathan Kolb hunts for her replacement, the Liberty’s core, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones, remains intact, but the clock ticks toward an expansion draft and free agency. So, are we going to see more shuffles at the Liberty rush? Maybe.
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Sandy Brondello guided the Liberty to their first championship in 2024, a crowning achievement after four seasons that included two Eastern Conference titles and four playoff runs. She compiled a 107-53 record, the best in franchise history, while also blending veteran savvy with young stars like Ionescu to build a juggernaut. Not only that, Brondello also became the Liberty’s winningest coach just last month.
Sandy Brondello Struggled To Contain Team Despite Past Victories
While she is undoubtedly not the worst to coach the Liberty, the 2025 season brought relentless injuries for the team, where Stewart missed 13 games with a knee issue before an MCL sprain in Game 1 against Phoenix.
Additionally, Ionescu battled a toe problem, Jones re-aggravated her ankle, and Nyara Sabally dealt with knee woes. The Liberty surged to 17-6 before crumbling, losing 3-1 to the Mercury in a series that exposed lineup gaps and frustration.
After all the lopsided outcomes, the Liberty front office finally decided to fire Brondello. However, this came amid her struggles to steady the ship amid the chaos, her rotations drawing criticism as the team plummeted to the No. 5 seed.