ESPN Legend Blasts Liberty for Firing Hall of Fame Coach Brondello

Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello was named Thursday as a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2027.

Brondello is a two-time WNBA championship coach with Phoenix and New York who also led the Australian Opals to Olympic bronze at the 2024 Paris Games.

She was officially named the first head coach of the Tempo on Nov. 4, 2025, after her contract was not renewed by the New York Liberty.

The Hall of Fame class also includes Diana Taurasi, who retired on Feb. 25, 2025, as the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer and its only player with more than 10,000 points.

Three-time WNBA coach of the year Mike Thibault, official Dee Kantner, builder Dr. Judith Holland, and former World Basketball League star Molly Bolin Kazmer are the other members.

The induction ceremony is scheduled for June 26, 2027, in Knoxville, Tenn.

But the timing of Brondello’s Hall of Fame honor has reignited criticism of the Liberty’s decision to let her go.

Brondello compiled a 107-53 regular-season record over four seasons in New York.

She led the team to back-to-back Finals appearances and delivered its first championship in 2024.

However, Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb chose not to renew her contract for 2026 after their early playoff exit, citing the need for “evolution and innovation.”

DeMarco was brought in to lead that transition.

“Very serious thought and consideration was made to retaining Sandy (Brondello), but ultimately we determined that evolution and innovation is what is needed at this time,” Kolb said at the time.

DeMarco had no previous WNBA coaching experience.

His appointment was supposed to represent a new direction for New York.

But his one-year tenure has brought Kolb’s decision-making under renewed scrutiny.

Former ESPN analyst Linda Cohn addressed the situation on Wednesday, calling out the Liberty’s general manager over the coaching changes.

During a segment on “The Linda Cohn Show,” Cohn pointed to the general manager’s previous emphasis on innovation and keeping pace with the changing league, noting that his next coaching hire did not even last two seasons.

“Funny how Kolb, the GM, said, ‘We were looking forward. It wasn’t about the playoff loss. We wanted innovation. We wanted to keep pace with a changing league.’ So the guy he hired lasted exactly one year: Chris DeMarco,” Cohn said.

With another coaching search underway, she questioned why Kolb himself had not faced similar scrutiny for the direction he had taken the franchise.

“And people might be saying, people that are Liberty fans, saying, ‘Well, why does the GM still have his job? He keeps changing coaches. You decided this guy was the way to go to replace Sandy Brondello,’” Cohn said.