Sandy Brondello spent four seasons in Downtown Brooklyn building a championship team.
She won 107 games as head coach, led the New York Liberty to back-to-back WNBA Finals appearances and lifted the trophy for all of Brooklyn to relish after helping to capture the franchise’s first-ever title in 2024.
Now, the winningest coach in team history will be on the opposing bench at Barclays Center on Wednesday night, leading the expansion Toronto Tempo against her former team before what is expected to be a sellout crowd on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush.
“I got an opportunity to coach there for four years, it was an awesome atmosphere and experience,” Brondello told the Toronto Star this week in anticipation of her return to Barclays.
“And now I go back as a competitor,” she added. “I think it’s fun to play in that environment.”
Brondello’s fun in Brooklyn ended last season, when the Liberty (5-4) got bounced from the opening round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury in three tough games.
New York general manager Jonathan Kolb opted not to bring back Brondello, instead opting for long-time Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco.
That left our borough’s basketball fanatics baffled, especially considering Brondello’s instant impact on the team.
The Liberty won their first-ever trophy via the Commissioner’s Cup under Brondello’s guidance in 2023 and returned to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2002 later that year.
Though Vegas outlasted New York in a tough four-game series, the Liberty came roaring back to knock out the Aces in the semifinals and survive a decisive Game 5 against Minnesota to grab Title I the next season.
The championship was nothing new for Brondello, who had spearheaded the Mercury to the WNBA crown in 2014.
Now, she’s embarking on a quest no other coach in the league has.
Brondello is leading the WNBA’s first-ever international franchise in Toronto, where the Tempo are off to a surprisingly strong start.
Led by veterans Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey, the Tempo (5-4) also feature rookie sensation Kiki Rice, who is coming off a national championship at UCLA.
Also, Brondello grabbed Nyara Sabally in the expansion draft after winning a title alongside the former Liberty center.
Former Liberty center Nyara Sabally is wearing a new uniform but still playing for the only WNBA coach she has ever known, Sandy Brondello. Photo: Jeff Lewis/AP
She isn’t exactly backing down to New York’s star-studded roster, which features the Big Three of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu, who is questionable for Wednesday’s tilt due to an ongoing back injury.
The Liberty also added Satou Sabally, Nyara’s sister, via free agency to give them a starting lineup packed with All-Stars.
“Being an expansion team, you see a lot of star power and sometimes you’re like, ‘Oh geez, they’re really good,’” Brondello intimated.
“But we’ve got that belief that we can go to New York and win. This is a hostile environment and it is hard to win there, but it is doable.”
The atmosphere at Barclays isn’t likely to be hostile toward Brondello, however.
The native Australian always had the admiration of her players, and the capacity crowds that flooded the building like never before during her historic tenure.
Even her former players took exception when it was first mentioned last year that Brondello might be on her way out of Brooklyn.
“To anybody that kind of questions Sandy being here, this is a resilient group,” Stewart insisted after last year’s Game 3 loss in Phoenix. “And she has our back and we have hers.
“The way that she continued to kind of deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible. It wasn’t easy for anybody but she came in every day with a positive attitude and a mindset to put us in our best positions possible and best foot forward.”
She’s doing the same in Toronto, which will be playing New York in the Commissioner’s Cup opener for both teams.
This is Brondello’s lone scheduled visit to Barclays this year, barring a potential playoff series, as the final two games in the season series will be in Toronto on July 12 and Sept. 20.
Regardless of the outcome, Brooklyn fans will welcome Brondello back heartily before settling in for what they hope will be the Liberty’s third straight win.
Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
The game will air nationally on USA Network and locally on My9.
New York guard Marine Johannes’ next 3-pointer will be her 30th of the season. She hopes to drain more than that when the Liberty host Toronto on Wednesday night. Photo: Brandon Todd/New York Liberty
GIVE ME LIBERTY: This is the first of six Commissioner’s Cup games for the Liberty, who won the title in 2023 against Vegas and lost the Final under Brondello in 2024 to Minnesota. … Liberty shooting guard Marine Johannes drained a pair of 3-pointers in last Friday’s win over Phoenix. She has set a new team record with 29 made 3s through the season’s first nine contests, eclipsing the previous mark held by Ionescu, who went on to make the most 3-balls in WNBA history (128) that year. … The Tempo didn’t list any injuries on their report as of Tuesday’s press time. … After hosting Toronto, the Liberty will close out this season-high seven-game homestand vs. Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Saturday night.