New York Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb has finally given an explanation for coach Sandy Brondello‘s surprise firing, and fans aren’t too happy about it. On Thursday, Sept. 25, @justwomensports on Instagram uploaded a carousel post with a graphic of Kolb’s quote from a recent interview that encapsulates why the franchise suddenly decided to let go of coach Brondello.
Kolb revealed that a coaching change was already imminent, despite Brondello spearheading the team to the 2024 WNBA title.
“[A coaching change] was very much under consideration last season. We won the championship, but it’s not about the end result,” Kolb was quoted as saying.
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Fans online, especially the Liberty faithful, were visibly furious in the comments section over Kolb’s recent statement.
“He’s making his personal feelings on Sandy pretty evident. When you are a coach, your job is literally to win the chip! Not a good look for the Liberty. The front office is coming off a bit dramatic and childish,” one fan explained.
“This sounds ridiculous, respectfully,” another fan posted with a couple of emojis.
“That’s gotte be the stupidest take I’ve ever heard, and if that’s the way Jonathan is thinking, I fear for this franchise,” another user said.
“Dumbest decision! And if that was his response, he should be fired,” a fan claimed.
Other users fussed over Kolb’s quote, wherein he says that Brondello’s firing had nothing to do with the result of winning a championship.
“Nope, that is the end result. Players love her, fans love her, she wins. Not sure what else you are looking for,” one fan shared.
“I think this is the first time in sports I’ve heard someone essentially say it’s not about the end result. Even the janitor will say, ‘I’m just doing my part to help them win a championship,'” another fan wrote.
“It’s not about the end result?! The end result was winning a championship,” a fan pointed out.
The Liberty were eliminated in Game 3 of the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs by coach Nate Tibbetts‘ Phoenix Mercury through a six-point loss, 79-73, in away territory. Brondello finished her final year with the team with an overall record of 27-17, good for the second seed from the Eastern conference and fifth in the league.
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Sandy Brondello Spearheaded The New York Liberty To Its First WNBA Championship Last Year
As mentioned above, coach Sandy Brondello’s firing from the helm of the New York Liberty coaching staff comes as a surprise, given that she led the franchise to its first WNBA championship in the 2024 season.
In last year’s finals, the Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx 3-2 in the best-of-five WNBA Finals series, sealing their fate with a 67-62 victory in overtime during the winner-take-all game.
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