The Liberty chose not to renew Sandy Brondello’s contract, even though she led them to their first championship last year. One great season wasn’t enough. After a bad collapse in 2025, the organization ended her contract, leaving fans confused about how a championship coach could lose her job so quickly.

Speaking on the Yahoo! Sports YouTube Channel, Brondello put a pin in her Liberty exit and said that it was hard for her to leave the team. “I had four great years there. We were able to bring the first WNBA championship to New York, and that’s something I’ll always be proud of. I’m very grateful for the opportunities I had in New York. But look, we’re in a professional landscape. If people don’t think the results were good enough, that’s a part of it. Obviously, it’s a little sad to see that door closed, but I’m excited about the next one.”

When you look at Brondello’s record and the Liberty’s path, it becomes clearer what she meant by what she said. Brondello had a 107-53 record over four seasons in New York, and her teams always played winning basketball. But the 2025 season showed that they were weak. The Liberty finished the season 27-17 and got the fifth seed in the playoffs, but they lost to the Phoenix Mercury in the first round.

Breanna Stewart, the franchise’s star player, reacted to Brondello’s departure with a mix of sadness and excitement about the team’s new direction under Chris DeMarco, the Warriors assistant who was hired to take her place.

“As far as Sandy, really loved and appreciated playing with her, like, I’m happy I got to do that, and while it’s sad that we’re no longer, we had some great years together, and winning a championship is going to be like the cherry on top of that. And [I’m] excited to see what she does in Toronto.” Stewart said.

Yet Stewart’s optimism for the future revealed itself in her comments about DeMarco, highlighting the strategic thinking behind the Liberty’s hiring. “Have Chris come from the Warriors, coming to the Liberty, I’m excited to see what he brings to his basketball IQ, like, knowing that the NBA [does things different] than the W.”

Sandy Brondello excited about the Toronto Tempo challenge

Sandy Brondello isn’t sulking after her Liberty exit. Instead, she’s taking on one of the hardest things in basketball: starting Canada’s first WNBA team from scratch. The Toronto Tempo will start playing in 2026. Brondello, a coach who has won two championships, chose to start from scratch instead of going after another ready-made contender.

Brondello talked about her plans for Toronto on the Yahoo! Sports YouTube Channel in a straightforward way: “It’s really different. We have no players. So we’re exploring the market and want to put together the best team possible to represent Canada as the first WNBA team. I’ve never coached an expansion team, and that’s what intrigued me when I took this position. Right now, we can just strategize, plan, and scout as much as we can until free agency begins. I don’t know what the team will look like yet, but we want to aim big. We want talented players, but we also want good people so we can build a really strong culture and a new legacy. I’m excited about the challenge.”

The career she has says a lot. Two WNBA championships as a head coach, Phoenix in 2014 and New York in 2024, plus multiple Finals runs, including New York’s 2023 and 2024 appearances, and only one other coach has ever won championships with more than one team. Brondello is one of the best players in the history of the league, so her decision to start an expansion team shows how hungry she is.

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Canada is getting more than just a coach. They’re getting a championship maker who is ready to start from scratch and build something great. That’s the kind of thinking that builds eras.