“Sandy is one of the winningest coaches in this league. Y’all should put some f— respect on her name.” This was the strong-worded statement from Natasha Cloud after Game 3 loss against the Mercury. Even Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu expressed support for Sandy Brondello after the first round postseason exit. Unfortunately, the New York Liberty front office did not feel the same way as the players. In a shocking move, they removed Brondello in a first-of-its-kind decision. But if one WNBA reporter is to be believed, there is more to the story.

During the We Need to Talk podcast, WNBA reporters Alicia Jay and Erica Ayala gave their unfiltered opinion on Brondello’s removal. According to them, the New York market has set a high standard. For their teams, nothing short of a championship matters. Furthermore, if they fall short, a coach, or player, or a general manager becomes fodder. This time, it was Brondello, with the injury-filled WNBA season playing a big part.

As Ayala puts it on the podcast, Liberty was “a team that was struggling so mightily [with] as many injuries as they did. With both Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart having 13 consecutive games missed. I mean, that’s huge. That’s decimating their back court.” Both star players of New York had their injury woes this season. The 2024 WNBA Finals MVP, Jonquel Jones, was the first to go down due to an ankle injury, missing 4-6 weeks in June.

Later in July, Breanna Stewart suffered a bone bruise in the same place where she had undergone a meniscus minor surgery in March. This flared-up injury caused her to miss a month of action. Stewart’s injury troubled her in the playoffs, too, where she looked visibly troubled. Apart from them, stars like Sabrina Ionescu suffered a left foot sprain and Natasha Cloud with a nose fracture, both in August.

Although all these players recovered physically from their injuries, Ayala claims the damage was on a mental level. “I do think that mental fatigue can come from physical fatigue or just working yourself back. Even if you’re cleared physically. That doesn’t always mean that your mind and body are connected in that you can execute in the way you were able to pre-injury. So, I just want to leave space for that,” said the WNBA reporter.

Her comment carries weight, looking at the woes of Stewart in Game 2. In the series against Phoenix, Stewart sprained her MCL in the first game. Although she got clearance for Game 2, her performance was subpar. “It probably became more of a mental barrier than a physical one,” the Liberty player admitted after an 86-60 loss in Game 2. This mental barrier is what Ayala claims other New York Liberty players felt, one that Sandy Brondello failed to address.

“This team was not rebounding particularly well early on. They were having trouble at the free-throw line. We saw some players missing easy shots and baskets. To me, that pointed to a lot of fatigue. Now, while none of those things are quite literally in the final control of the coach, we do know that those are things that can get a coach dismissed, and that seems to be the case here with New York,” said Ayala.

The real reason for Sandy Brondello’s firing remains unclear. However, the WNBA analyst has offered her two cents, suggesting that injuries and mental fatigue within the Liberty roster were the catalyst for her departure. Yet, it still seems puzzling to let go of a coach who just delivered a championship. The situation becomes even more bewildering considering Brondello is the first coach in WNBA history to be on the chopping block the season after winning a title. This unprecedented move has sent shockwaves through the WNBA community, with fellow coaches expressing their astonishment.

WNBA coaching community in shock over Liberty’s Sandy Brondello firing decision

Sandy Brondello is the most successful coach for the New York. In her four seasons with them, she has taken them to the playoffs every time. In 2022 and 2025, the team finished in the first round. For 2023 and 2024, Liberty reached the finals. The 2024 season also marks the first championship win for New York, also under Brondello. So when the news of New York letting her go went public, the WNBA coaching community was in shock.

One of the first to react was Indiana Fever’s Stephanie White. Although disappointed, White kept a neutral stance, stating, “Just, you know, disappointed obviously for Sandy. She’s a great coach and a great human being. And of course, in our profession, you hate to see that.” But on the other hand, Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve was not mincing any words. She laid into the New York front office for letting a prized asset go.

Her message was blunt: other teams have a chance to capitalize on New York’s misfire. “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 said.

Although where Sandy Brondello turns up next is still up in the air. But Reeve believes the expansion teams and Seattle have a worthy coach to join their ranks.