Brondello setting the Tempo in Toronto

Forever beloved in Brooklyn, former Liberty coach Sandy Brondello has reportedly been hired to lead expansion Toronto into the WNBA next year. AP Photo by Darryl Webb

The most successful coach in the history of the New York Liberty will now be leading the WNBA’s first international franchise.

Sandy Brondello, who guided the Liberty to a pair of WNBA Finals and the team’s first-ever championship, has been hired as coach of the expansion Toronto Tempo, the Associated Press reported last week.

Brondello won a franchise-record 107 games during her four-year tenure in Downtown Brooklyn, posting an eye-popping .669 winning percentage.

She also led the Liberty to their first Finals appearance since 2002 in 2023 after securing the franchise’s first trophy with a win over Vegas in that year’s Commissioner’s Cup, the league’s in-season tournament.

Though New York fell to the Aces in four tough games in the 2023 Finals, Brondello’s superstar-driven unit won it all in 2024, outlasting Minnesota with a thrilling overtime triumph in a decisive Game 5 at Barclays Center.

Less than one calendar year following a Canyon of Heroes ticker-tape celebration, New York general manager Jonathan Kolb dismissed Brondello after the Liberty were ousted by Phoenix in the opening round of this year’s playoffs.

“It has been a privilege to have coached the NY Liberty these last four years. Bringing the first ever championship to New York will always be the most amazing feeling. I wish the team and organization more success moving forward,” Brondello texted the AP last month.

The Tempo, who will join the Portland Fire as new franchises in the ever-expanding league in 2026, benefited greatly from the Liberty’s loss, though the hiring has not been made official yet.

Brondello has reached the postseason in each of her previous 13 seasons as a coach and guided the Mercury to the WNBA title in 2014, ten years prior to taking the Liberty to the top of the best women’s basketball league in the world.

Four of the five open coaching jobs in the league have now been filled, putting Kolb on the clock to announce Brondello’s successor in Brooklyn.

One of the early candidates for the job, Liberty assistant Sonia Raman, is already taken.

Raman was reportedly hired last week by the Seattle Storm.

The former NBA assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies becomes the first Indian-American head coach in WNBA history after working to enhance New York’s offense for one year under Brondello.

The Fire are banking on former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Alex Sarama to begin their foray into the league and University of South Florida coach Alex Fernandez took the open post in Dallas.

Superstar forward Breanna Stewart is one of several key free agents the Liberty hope to bring back in 2026. AP Photo by Rick Scuteri

Former Nets assistant Will Weaver and Mercury assistant Kristi Toliver are still reportedly in the hunt for the lone remaining job in the WNBA.

Anyone stepping in for Brondello at this point, especially with the Liberty expected to bring back unrestricted free agents Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, had better deliver Title II quickly.

Otherwise, Brooklynites will be clamoring to “Bring back Sandy.”

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The winless Nets (0-4) will be back in Brooklyn on Wednesday to open a three-game homestand at Barclays Center vs. the Atlanta Hawks.

The Nets are coming off back-to-back defeats in Texas, going down 118-107 in San Antonio on Sunday afternoon before Monday night’s gruesome 137-108 thumping in Houston.

Rookie Egor Dёmin, who took a rest day due to a sore foot against the Rockets, is expected to be back in the lineup against the Hawks.

Veteran forward Ziaire Williams is listed as day-to-day with a back injury after sitting out in Houston.

The Hawks (1-3) are coming off Monday’s 128-123 loss at Chicago on Monday in the opener of their four-game road trip.

Cam Thomas and the Nets will take another shot at win No. 1 on Wednesday, when they open a three-game homestand vs. Atlanta. AP Photo by Darren Abate

Kristaps Porzingis scored 27 points and Jalen Johnson added 25 for Atlanta, which took two of three meetings from the Nets last season, including a 133-109 rout in Brooklyn on April 10.

Cam Thomas, who leads the Nets with 29.3 points per game, will look to rebound from a nine-point, 3-of-9 shooting performance against the Rockets.

Tip-off at Barclays is slated for 7:30 p.m.

The game will air locally on the YES Network.

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