ESPN Legend Calls Liberty Firing Sandy Brondello a Huge Mistake

New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello reacts during action against the Phoenix Mercury in the first half of Game One of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs first round at PHX Arena on Sept. 14, 2025.

That playoff game turned out to be her last as Liberty head coach.

Shortly after the early exit, general manager Jonathan Kolb decided not to renew Brondello's contract for the 2026 season.

Brondello had just led the franchise to its first WNBA championship in 2024.

She also took the team to back-to-back Finals appearances.

Her regular season record in New York was 107-53 over four seasons.

Kolb explained the decision by saying the team needed "evolution and innovation."

He said at the time: "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."

To replace Brondello, Kolb hired Chris DeMarco.

DeMarco had no previous WNBA coaching experience.

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, the Liberty fired DeMarco after just one season.

That means New York is now searching for its third head coach in three seasons.

Former ESPN analyst Linda Cohn addressed the situation on Wednesday, Nov. 4, during her show "The Linda Cohn Show."

Cohn called out Kolb directly over the coaching changes.

She pointed to his earlier statement about innovation and keeping pace with a changing league.

"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,'" Cohn said.

"So the guy he hired lasted exactly one year: Chris DeMarco."

Cohn then questioned why Kolb himself had not faced similar scrutiny.

"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.

She concluded: "That was a big, big, big mistake. Big mistake, for sure."

Meanwhile, Brondello's career has continued to rise.

She was officially named the first head coach of the Toronto Tempo on Nov. 4, 2025.

The Tempo are a WNBA expansion team that played their inaugural season in 2026.

Their first season was difficult — they finished 11-33, ending with eight straight losses and only one win in their final 21 games.

But there were positives, including strong attendance and the emergence of breakout guard Marina Mabrey.

On Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, Brondello was named a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2027.

She is a two-time WNBA championship coach, having won with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014 and the New York Liberty in 2024.

Brondello also led the Australian Opals to an Olympic bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

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.

Other inductees are 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.

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

Brondello's Hall of Fame honor comes just months after she was let go by the Liberty.

That timing has not been lost on observers.

Cohn's criticism of Kolb's decision-making has added to the scrutiny surrounding the Liberty front office.

The GM now faces the task of finding a third head coach in three years.

DeMarco's one-year tenure has raised questions about the evaluation process that led to his hiring.

Kolb had described DeMarco as the person to lead the team's new direction.

That direction lasted one season before the Liberty made another change.

With the 2027 season approaching, the Liberty are in an uncertain position.

They have a championship core but have now cycled through two coaches since winning the title.

The WNBA has become increasingly competitive, with several teams making significant moves.