Breanna Stewart's 3-Word Curse Stance Resurfaces Amid Sandy Brondello Liberty Firing
On September 23, news broke that the New York Liberty would not be renewing the contract of head coach Sandy Brondello, thus ending her tenure with the team.
This has come as a major shock to the women's basketball community. While the Liberty getting eliminated in the first round of the 2025 WNBA playoffs was surely a disappointment, Brondello led New York to a 2024 WNBA championship and took them to the WNBA Finals in 2023, which was her second season as head coach.
In a press release from Tuesday morning, Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb was quoted as saying, “We would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact on the New York Liberty. Sandy finishes her tenure in New York as the winningest coach in franchise history, and she took us to never-before-seen heights as the first head coach to lead the Liberty to a championship.
"We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter," Kolb continued, per an X post from Myles Ehrlich.
Breanna Stewart's Past Cursing Reaction to Sandy Brondello Question Speaks Volumes
One other reason why this news of Brondello and the Liberty parting ways is so surprising is that it was clear that the Liberty's roster (which includes several superstars, such as Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones) adored her and supported her as their head coach.
This was made apparent when Stewart and Ionescu were sitting alongside Brondello when speaking with the media after New York's September 19 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, which eliminated them from the playoffs.
A reporter asked the players, "What would you say to those who question whether Sandy should be here next year to coach you guys again?"
Stewart looked taken aback by the question before responding, "What the f***?" under her breath, which was picked up by her microphone.
Ionescu looked equally baffled by the question while Brondello smirked at Stewart's response.
this is fryinggg me pic.twitter.com/rKa2mw4Pz0
— iz ও (@sunkisses4bella) September 20, 2025
Stewart's reaction to the reporter's question (which she quickly tried to walk back) went viral, as fans found this response to be hilarious. However, given Brondello's firing, it's clear that the reporter was fair in asking this question.
All of the Liberty's top players (along with almost every other WNBA veteran) are entering unrestricted free agency this offseason in advance of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) being instituted.
It will be interesting to see how Brondello's firing impacts whether Stewart or any other New York players decide to return to this franchise. Or perhaps Brondello joining another WNBA coaching staff will entice them to follow her there.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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