When Sandy Brondello and Cheryl Reeve cross paths, it’s usually billed as more than just another game. The two celebrated coaches are often cast as rivals, a narrative Brondello herself has leaned into, admitting, “Of course we have a rivalry… We don’t like each other, that’s just how it is.” But is this truly a rivalry? Reeve’s recent comments hint at a different story.

The New York Liberty announced just hours ago that Sandy Brondello’s contract will not be renewed, despite her guiding the team to its first WNBA title last season.“It has been a privilege to have coached the N.Y. Liberty these last four years. Bringing the first-ever championship to New York will always be the most amazing feeling,” Brondello told AP News.

And when asked about Brondello’s firing, she gave Liberty’s former HC the flowers she deserved. “As we’ve seen the business grow, the stakes grow higher… I think Sandy is a heck of a coach and I think Sandy will land on her feet like she always does. I am absolutely thrilled if I am Seattle, Toronto, and Portland that I was just gifted a championship-level coach…Though we’re competitors, I think a lot of Sandy, personally and professionally,” Reeve expressed in the pregame press conference.

Cheryl Reeve seems to be absolutely right. Teams like the Storm, Tempo, and Fire won’t overlook the chance to bring in a two-time championship coach now suddenly available. Sandy Brondello’s résumé speaks for itself. Across 13 seasons, she’s never missed the playoffs, a distinction no other WNBA coach can claim. Her 269–181 record spans three franchises, with postseason trips in San Antonio (before the Stars became the Aces), Phoenix, and New York.

In just four seasons with the Liberty, Brondello became the winningest coach in franchise history. She’s been 107-53 in her four seasons with Liberty, which is also the most wins in franchise history. She took over in 2022 and immediately lifted the team to four more victories than the year prior. By 2023, the Liberty had reached the Finals, falling short against Las Vegas. One year later, they broke through, defeating Reeve’s Lynx for the championship.

This season told a different story. New York finished 27–17, hampered by injuries and weighed down by lofty expectations. Whether that justified moving on from Brondello is debatable. What isn’t is her reputation as one of the league’s elite coaches. After all, the team got off to a franchise-best start in 2025, winning nine games. 

“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. We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter,” shared GM Jonathan Kolb.

But Sandy’s not just about her coaching excellence. She’s been “the most consistent person” too. Her NY Liberty’s assistant coach and offensive coordinator Zach O’Brien puts it better: “You never have to guess with her, is she being genuine or not? It’s always genuine. You’re always going to get the real version of her.” Well, that’s the major reason many Brondello-isms have developed over 20 years of coaching experience.

She’s dealt with high-pressure situations and knows well how to balance care and kindness while holding people accountable. And that’s the major reason her job’s often known as “the Yeoman’s work.” Her guiding Liberty to its first basketball title in 51 years, featuring a stunning .669 winning percentage across four seasons, is proof. So, yes, she can be a lot in the coaches market, but will she get picked?

Sandy Brondello’s firing is more than a roster shakeup!

Brondello isn’t the only head coach to be dismissed ahead of this offseason. She joins Noelle Quinn, making her one of five women currently on the coaching market. On the surface, that might seem normal. After all, playoff disappointments often lead to coaching changes. That’s exactly what happened with Teresa Weatherspoon last year.

But when you look at first-year head coaches, Rachid Meziane from Sun and Sydney Johnson from Mystics, both of them have been retained despite their teams having below-average records. So yes, the point here is disparity among male and female coaches. And no, we’re not saying this, but it’s something found in research.

As Associate Professor in the University of South Florida’s Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management program, Dr. Janelle Wells puts it better: “Even as women continue to break records for participation, for viewership, for leadership positions, and for sponsorship dollars, the deep history and biases affect how we perceive and view women leaders. Research on the glass cliff and double bind helps explain why WNBA women head coaches continue to get snubbed… Hire them to clean it up, but yet they weren’t fast enough to fix it or win it all, so it’s time to replace her.”

Well…women are required to have additional achievements and expertise that are not required from men in similar roles. For example, Johnson and Nate Tibbets, the first-year head coaches, never got to coach pro basketball before 2024. But women encounter a double bind in leadership roles. Despite valuable achievements, as is the case with both Quinn and Brondello, they are deemed unfit for the roles due to more critical performance evaluations. So the disparities are quite clear. What do you think?