Brondello back in Brooklyn on June 3

Former Liberty coach Sandy Brondello will be back in Brooklyn on June 3 to lead the expansion Toronto Tempo against New York at Barclays Center. Photo: Seth Wenig/AP

Save the date Liberty fans!

Former New York coach Sandy Brondello will be back in Downtown Brooklyn with the expansion Toronto Tempo on June 3, according to the 2026 WNBA schedule.

The Liberty won 107 games, grabbed the Commissioner’s Cup, went to consecutive WNBA Finals and secured their first-ever league championship during the 57-year-old native Australian’s four-year tenure along the home-side bench at Barclays Center.

From 2022-25, Brondello became the winningest coach in Liberty history, only to be handed her walking papers after New York’s first-round exit in last year’s playoffs.

Though she was hired by the WNBA’s first-ever international franchise before Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb filled the vacancy with long-time Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco, Brondello will certainly get the returning heroine’s treatment on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush.

“I had a few options, but in the end I was really intrigued about starting from the very beginning and building something with really good people and in a different country,” said Brondello upon accepting the post back in November.

“This is Canada’s team and I thought that would be very exciting and I’m up for every challenge.”

Of course, all that relies on whether or not the WNBA and its players reach a collectively bargained agreement in time for the scheduled opening tip for the 44-game 2026 season,

That much anticipated date is slated for May 8, when the Liberty will host the Connecticut Sun at Barclays, launching DeMarco’s stint in Seafoam and Black

“After a thorough search, we could not be more thrilled to welcome Chris DeMarco as our head coach,” Kolb said in December. 

“Throughout the process, our goal was clear: identify a leader who could elevate our culture, implement elite-level systems, and bring a modern vision for how to guide this franchise forward on the court.”

This will be season No. 30 for New York, which is an original WNBA franchise.

The Liberty were a powerhouse in the early years of the league, reaching the WNBA Finals three times from 1997-2000 without bringing home the trophy.

New York also lost the Finals in 2002. 

It would be the Liberty’s last appearance until Brondello guided them back in 2023, when they lost a heartbreaking Game 4 at Barclays to the rival Vegas Aces.

That wouldn’t be the case in 2024. 

Brondello skillfully led the Liberty past Vegas in the semifinals and over Minnesota in a Game 5 overtime thriller to finally give New York a reason to stage a championship parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

Brondello’s first visit back will take place in the middle of the team’s longest homestand of the year, a seven-game run from May 21-June 6.

New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, left, sits with Golden State Warriors assistant coach and Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco before an NBA basketball game between the Warriors and the Utah Jazz in San Francisco, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. Photo: Jeff Chiu/AP

The league’s other expansion franchise, the Portland Fire, will come to Brooklyn for the first time on May 25. 

The Liberty will also have a chance to get a measure of revenge on first-round nemesis Phoenix with a two-game set here from May 27-29.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will close out the extended stand on June 6. The Fever will also be at Barclays on April 25 for the Liberty’s only preseason home game.

New York will visit Los Angeles on June 21 to commemorate the first-ever WNBA game between the Liberty and Sparks exactly three decades after the inaugural Opening Day.

This year’s WNBA All-Star Game is slated for July 25 in Chicago, but the Liberty still don’t know if perennial All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart will be back until the CBA is reached.

The Big Three are all unrestricted free agents, but Kolb indicated that he expected his top players to be back in the fold for another run at Title II come May.

The league will take a three-week pause from late August to mid-September for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

That would likely mean more basketball for Ionescu and Stewart, both of whom won gold medals with Team USA in 2024 at the Paris Olympics.

Also, Liberty forwards Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally could be back representing Team Germany while Brondello coaches the Opals of Australia in the tournament.

The regular season will conclude with back-to-back contests against visiting Atlanta from Sept. 21-23, with the playoffs to follow unless DeMarco fails to extend New York’s streak of five consecutive postseason appearances

The owner of four NBA championship rings, DeMarco certainly isn’t expecting a hasty exit in his first season.

“I’m incredibly honored to join the Liberty and proud to help carry forward the standard this franchise has set – excellence on the court and a strong connection to the community,” he said. 

“The chance to work with some of the greatest players in basketball, supported by an exceptional front office and ownership group, is the kind of opportunity every coach dreams of. I can’t wait to get started – building on the winning foundation and culture that make the New York Liberty so special.”

The Liberty’s full 2026 schedule can be found here. https://nyliberty.com/schedule

Superstar forward Breanna Stewart is expected to be back with the Liberty this season, if and when the league and players’ association reach a new CBA. Photo: Rick Scuteri/AP

GIVE ME LIBERTY: Though she’s well aware that the season might not get under way on time if the CBA isn’t reached ahead of training camp, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert released the schedule so tickets packages could begin to be sold. “As we prepare to tip off the WNBA’s historic 30th season, this schedule reflects both how far the league has come and the momentum that continues to drive us forward,” she said. “From welcoming two new organizations in Toronto and Portland, to honoring our history with marquee matchups that connect the league’s first game to today’s stars, the 2026 season will celebrate the WNBA’s past, present, and future.” … The Liberty will visit the Tempo in Toronto on July 12 and Sept. 20, so the only chance Brooklynites will get to stand up and cheer for Brondello will be on June 3. … New York will make its only visit to expansion Portland from May 12-14.

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