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New York Liberty hair braiding workshop
The New York Liberty hosted a special braiding workshop for young girls one day before the anniversary of the C.R.O.W.N. Act, which prohibits race based hair discrimination in workplaces and schools. FOX 5 NY's Meredith Gorman has more.
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Liberty will not renew coach Sandy Brondello’s contract for next season, the organization announced Tuesday.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: 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. NOTE TO USER: User ex …
Brondello led the Liberty to its first WNBA championship in 2024, but the team struggled with injuries to star players Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu this year. New York earned the No. 5 seed in the playoffs and lost in the first round to the Phoenix Mercury.
What we know:
"We would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact on the New York Liberty," Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said. "Sandy finishes her tenure in New York as the winningest coach in franchise history, and she took us to never-before-seen heights as the first head coach to lead the Liberty to a championship. We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter."
Brondello went 107-53 in her four seasons with the team. The Liberty got off to a franchise-best start, winning nine straight games, only to stumble over the next few months as injuries took their toll.
She had her players support after the team lost in the playoffs last week.
"To anybody that kind of questions Sandy being here, this is a resilient group," Stewart said after the Game 3 loss to Phoenix last week. "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."
Before coming to New York, Brondello led the Phoenix Mercury to a championship in her eight seasons with that team. She was hired before the 2022 season by the Liberty after she helped the Mercury reach the WNBA Finals in 2021.
New York lost in the finals to Las Vegas in 2023 before winning the championship last year in a decisive Game 5 overtime victory over Minnesota.