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The Toronto Tempo are reportedly hiring Sandy Brondello as the expansion franchise’s first head coach, ahead of their inaugural WNBA season in 2026, per a Wednesday announcement by Title IX Sports’ Howard Megdal.
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Brondello previously spent four seasons at the helm of the New York Liberty, winning a WNBA championship in 2024 before parting ways with the team following the 2025 season.
BREAKING: Per @howardmegdal, Sandy Brondello will be the first coach of the expansion Toronto Tempo.https://t.co/xXCVjlmWqE
— The IX Basketball (@TheIXBasketball) October 22, 2025
Furthermore, before spending eight seasons as head coach of the Phoenix Mercury from 2014-2021, prior to her time in New York, Brondello was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks.
She joined the Sparks coaching staff alongside Joe “Jellybean” Bryant — Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s father — in 2011. Brondello was on the L.A. sidelines until 2013.
“I’m excited to continue my coaching career in the WNBA, and particularly excited to work with the team that Penny [Toler] and Jennifer [Gillom] have assembled here in Los Angeles,” Brondello said in a 2011 statement after accepting the Sparks’ role.
The Liberty, under Brondello, were 1-2 in games against the Sparks in 2025.
Kelsey Plum and Rickea Jackson combined for 44 PTS to lead the @LASparks to the last-second victory over the Liberty 🌟
K. Plum: 20 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST, 3 3PMR. Jackson: 24 PTS, 3 REB, 4 3PM, GAME WINNER#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/IIMoePhjG9
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 27, 2025
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L.A.’s sole win over New York this year came in a 101-99 road thriller on July 26, in which Rickea Jackson and Kelsey Plum scored 24 and 20 points, respectively.
The Sparks, in their first season under first-year coach Lynne Roberts and Plum — acquired via a blockbuster three-team trade in January — finished with a 21-23 record, just narrowly missing out on the WNBA postseason.
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