There’s a vacancy in one of the city’s prime real estate locations: Barclays Center, home of the New York Liberty.
This time around, the rent goes to the tenant, whose payments come in a more mentally taxing form: the successor to Sandy Brondello in the Liberty’s head coaching spot steps into a situation that will immediately demand results, as New York is looking to recover from a disappointing postseason championship defense that ended in the opening round of the ongoing WNBA Playoffs.
Speaking on the move from Brondello, general manager Jonathan Kolb would not reveal the qualities in an ideal future leader of seafoam, seeking not to create speculation about what the prior boss was supposedly lacking. Instead, he does seems to be interested in using the pressure in his pitch, which is set to be heard by a wide scope of candidates on the road ahead.
“I think that this is a place of earned pressure, and I feel that myself, ownership, and our players lean into that and aren’t afraid of that,” Kolb said. “I don’t feel this is a place we need to sell. I think this is a place that is a privilege to work at, and it’s a privilege to have a fan base such as ours that is so impassioned, that they’re the soul of what we do. If that resonates with the candidate, we’ll be excited to learn more about that.”
The ensuing fifth-place finish in 2025, one that can partly be blamed on injuries to primary women and depth stars alike, was only part of the reason why the Liberty moved on from Brondello, the all-time winningest head coach in franchise history and a two-time WNBA champion, the latter giving the Liberty its first. Kolb stated being more “adaptable” and “innovative” on the modern league’s landscape was one of the particular reasons why New York did what it did, offering a hint of what can be expected from the coming candidates.
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. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Adding to the “win-now” scenario is the relative time jam: at full strength, New York’s “big three” of Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart remains one of the most formidable in recent WNBA memory, only adding to the attractive nature of the Liberty vacancy. While there will be numerous free agents on the WNBA ledgers in the wake of collective bargaining agreement talks, Kolb said he has the “utmost confidence” that the titanic trio will return.
However, New York entered last season ranked second-to-last in youth behind only Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest can at least relish the fact that teenage sensation Dominique Malonga appears to be worth the investment. Kolb offered a glimpse into the New York future by hinting that it would continue to grow its international reach, which has produced heroines like Leonie Fiebich and Marine Johannes.
Kolb also believes that resources poured in from the ownership led by Joe and Clara Wu Tsai have only raised metropolitan prestige, as seafoam impact is being both on and off Atlantic Avenue: a new community basketball center, built in conjunction with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, was opened shortly after Kolb’s statements while a 75,000-square foot practice and wellness facility is set to be opened in the borough’s Greenpoint section in 2027.
Innovations such as these, Kolb noted, has turned WNBA head coaching posts as “destination” careers rather than the “stepping stone” posts they were commonly conceived and makes it all the more vital that the patient Liberty “nail” their next hire.
“We’re really fortunate to have the ownership group that we have. What they’ve poured into this place is second to none and I think, based off of that alone, this is an attractive position,” Kolb said. “For me, I feel that the pool is vast because of the growth of the league, the storytelling around the league, and the players that are the caliber of players that are not only in the league now, but are going to be coming into league for the foreseeable future. [All] that is tremendously exciting,”