WNBA scriptwriters picked a perfect matchup for the Liberty‘s first Commissioner’s Cup game: a Wednesday contest against Sandy Brondello and the Toronto Tempo.
It’s the Liberty’s first time facing off against Canada’s expansion team. And it’s the first time Brondello coaches against the Liberty, the team that fired her eight months ago.
And with the Tempo arriving in New York, Liberty players shared their thoughts when asked if they were surprised the team fired the franchise’s winningest coach in history last offseason.
“I wasn’t particularly expecting it,” Stewart said of Brondello before pausing and continued, “I don’t know. I think that I wasn’t really involved in that. Sad to see her go, but happy to see her find somewhere.”
Jonquel Jones’ response to the question was much shorter.
“Next question. I’m not answering that one.”
Brondello’s firing came as a surprise for many across the WNBA world. The front office decided to let her go after a disappointing first-round series playoff loss to the Phoenix Mercury.
That early exit, however, came after she brought the Liberty its first-ever WNBA championship in 2024. She fell just short of winning a ring in 2023 after falling to the Las Vegas Aces, 3-1, in the five-game series.
Her four-year Liberty resume also includes two Commissioner’s Cup appearances with the 2023 berth resulting in a championship.
She joined the team in 2022 after an eight-year stint with the Phoenix Mercury. At the time, Brondello coached a roster that ultimately featured nine players with two or fewer years of WNBA experience.
“She really gave me some confidence in 2021,” said Marine Johannes, who was beginning her second WNBA season at the time. “The team was completely different from now, of course. We were pretty young and had some injuries at the beginning of the season.”
Brondello’s 107-53 record gives her the most wins by a coach in Liberty history.
One of many accolades worthy of being celebrated despite the split.
“I think it’s gonna be great. I think it’s gonna be really welcoming for her,” Stewart said of the anticipated Barclays Center return for the head coach. “I think that the fans love [her] and will always show respect to her any time she comes back. Knowing that she was a part of the group that brought this franchise its first championship, that’s something where she will always be etched in the books here in New York and in Brooklyn, specifically. Just hope she gets a warm welcome. It’ll be good to see her.”
The Brooklyn homecoming also includes Brondello’s husband and assistant Olaf Lange. Nyara Sabally, who the Tempo picked in the expansion draft after she spent four years with the Liberty, returns in a much bigger role with Toronto. Isabelle Harrison also makes her return after spending one season with the Liberty.
“I think it’s gonna be amazing,” Jones said. “It’s gonna be amazing to reunite with them and have them here. I’m sure they’ll be celebrated as they should. I’m excited to play against them, but also see them.”
Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb cited the needs to be “proactive,” and to stay modern in an ever-changing WNBA landscape as reasons for the firing. Kolb, of course, hired Chris DeMarco to be head coach two months later.
Offensive issues reappearing throughout the Big 3 era — Jones, Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu — didn’t help Brondello’s case.
Kolb at the time of firing felt the offense featured too much east-west movement resulting in poorer shots. And Jones, a 6-6 focal point of any team she’s played for, not being heavily featured at times during the 2025 season didn’t help Brondello’s case, either.
The team even brought in ex-Grizzlies assistant Sonia Raman to assist with offense in 2025 after the team won a championship. Raman is now head coach of the Seattle Storm.
Even after the shortcomings, Liberty players are eager to see their former coaches again.
“I’m really happy to see them,” said Leonie Fiebich, who plays under Lange for the German National Team. “I think the whole staff, people that were here the last few years are happy to see them, too.”
