Champion Australian basketball coach Sandy Brondello has been suspended for using the phrase “protected species” when referring to a WNBA player.
Brondello, a star player and coach in the WNBA and WNBL and also the coach of the Opals, now leads the expansion side Toronto Tempo in the American league.
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But she will miss their next game having been suspended for the comment made about polarising Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese late this week.
Brondello was talking to the officials about one of her players being called for a foul on Reese, and could be overheard calling her a “protected species”.
The phrase is commonly used in Australian sport to refer to athletes who get favourable calls. But in an American context it was taken to have a derogatory use, particularly given Reese is black.
Reese tweeted about Brondello: “ARE WE SURPRISED?! @SBrondello (clown face emoji)”.
Head coach Sandy Brondello of the New York Liberty reacts during the first half against the Washington Mystics at Barclays Center on September 09, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
Brondello has since apologised, posting: “Angel, I’m sorry.
“Last night, in the emotion of the moment after Nyara’s injury, I used a phrase that I shouldn’t have used, and I take full responsibility for that. My frustration was with the officiating, but my words unfairly put the focus on you.
“I also understand that my words carried an impact beyond what I intended, particularly for Black women in our league, and I’m deeply sorry for that. I’ve spent my career competing with, coaching and learning from incredible Black women.
“I regret that my words caused hurt to a community I respect so deeply,” she added. “I have a lot of respect for you as both a player and a person, and I sincerely apologise to you, your teammates, and the Dream organisation for my comment.”
In a statement confirming the ban, the WNBA said: “The WNBA expects all coaches and team personnel to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and respect that are fundamental to our league.”
The league is currently booming but continues to get involved in ‘culture war’ incidents, many of them surrounding superstar Caitlin Clark, who is white.
As The Ringer’s Seerat Sohi wrote last week in a widely-praised feature, “the WNBA’s failure to manage Clark’s arrival created this opening, allowing right-wing grifters to hijack a story the WNBA failed to seize hold of, and essentially allowing the league to become a political punching bag.”