Liberty GM: Call on champ Brondello 'proactive'

New York Liberty wide manager Jonathan Kolb says the determination not to workout the enactment connected erstwhile manager Sandy Brondello's declaration was not a reactive 1 but alternatively "rooted successful being proactive" based connected the determination that "evolution and innovation is what is needed."

"These decisions people fork-in-the-road moments for organizations," Kolb told reporters Thursday. "You tin basal inactive oregon you tin clasp alteration and determination forward, and my committedness is to support pushing the New York Liberty to caller heights."

Brondello was the winningest manager successful franchise past and led the Liberty to their archetypal title successful 2024. This year, an injury-marred summertime saw the Liberty autumn successful the archetypal circular of the playoffs to the Phoenix Mercury arsenic the No. 5 seed.

Brondello was the 3rd manager successful WNBA past to pb a squad to a rubric past manager nary much than the pursuing play with that club, though the erstwhile 2 weren't fired.

Kolb said the determination was not solely based connected this season's results -- and that a coaching alteration was "very overmuch nether information past season."

"This is not a results-based organization," Kolb said. "This is not astir not winning oregon winning. It's astir however bash we presumption ourselves to beryllium astatine the apical of the league successful a existent sustainable mode arsenic the league evolves."

The coaching alteration was made aft aggregate players -- including two-time MVP Breanna Stewart -- went to bat for Brondello pursuing the Liberty's Game 3 nonaccomplishment to the Mercury past week. Kolb said that portion they "pride ourselves successful being a player-led enactment ... there's a level of spot that enactment volition marque decisions ... and ultimately, the decision's mine."

Kolb said helium has the "utmost confidence" that Stewart, 2020 No. 1 prime Sabrina Ionescu and 2024 Finals MVP Jonquel Jones volition privation to instrumentality to Brooklyn successful 2026. Those three, on with astir each WNBA veterans, are escaped agents this offseason arsenic the league prepares for a caller corporate bargaining.

There is nary timeline to prosecute Brondello's replacement, Kolb said, and the enactment doesn't privation to unreserved the process. Kolb declined to springiness specifics connected what the Liberty are looking for but said they person a "clear vision."

Asked if the adjacent Liberty manager needs to person WNBA experience, Kolb said they wouldn't bounds the scope of their search. The league has seen an influx of coaches with NBA acquisition successful caller years, including Las Vegas' Becky Hammon and Phoenix's Nate Tibbetts.

"We request to nail this," Kolb said. "If we're going to marque a bold determination similar this, our players merit to get the best, and truthful we'll instrumentality the clip necessary."

Brondello, who had extended acquisition successful the WNBA arsenic a subordinate and coach, went 107-53 successful 4 seasons with the Liberty. Her 271 vocation wins are the sixth astir successful WNBA past and among those to manager successful 2025 trailed lone Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve.

New York looked susceptible of a rubric defence with a 9-0 commencement successful 2025 earlier injuries struck Jones, Stewart and respective others. Brondello utilized a record-tying 18 starting lineups amid each the availability issues.

Kolb said the Liberty's problems this twelvemonth -- beyond their atrocious luck with injures -- person been the aforesaid arsenic successful different years: They don't respond good to physicality, often person spacing issues and, particularly this season, took a large measurement backmost with defence and rebounding.

"I deliberation we privation to get backmost to being who we person been," Kolb said, "but besides solving the problems that we inactive recovered occurrence through."

Kolb volition person his hands afloat this offseason not conscionable fin...