"She Has Our Back And We Have Hers": Breanna Stewart Staunchly Defends New York Liberty Coach Sandy Brondello After 1st Round Exit

Coming into the 2025 WNBA playoffs, the New York Liberty had high hopes of going the distance and defending their position at the summit as champions. However, this was not to be, as the Liberty exited the first round of the postseason after a Game 3 loss to the Phoenix Mercury last Friday.

In the postgame interview following the 79-73 loss, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello was accompanied by her star players, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, as she took inquiries from the media. At one point, a reporter asked Stewie and Ionescu a rather pointed question.

“What would you say to those who question whether Sandy should be here next year to coach you guys again?”

Up to that point, Stewart and Ionescu wore visibly disgruntled expressions on their faces. Upon hearing this question, however, Stewart perked up and immediately addressed the implied feedback toward her coach.

“What the f***,” Stewart said before catching herself. “To anybody that questions Sandy being here: This is a resilient group. She has our back, and we have hers. The way that she continued to deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible.”

If there’s anyone who understands the challenges that Brondello faced this year, it’s Stewie, who was sidelined for 13 games in the regular season due to a bone bruise on her right knee. Other key rotation players, such as Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Leonie Fiebich, all missed some time as well. In total, Brondello had to field 18 different starting lineups in the regular season.

That’s not even counting the loss of free agent Courtney Vandersloot, the Liberty’s floor general during their 2024 title run, and the midseason acquisitions of Stephanie Talbot and Emma Meesseman. It’s not a stretch, then, to say that Brondello squeezed every bit that she could from the Liberty roster to try to win back-to-back championships.

Certainly, Stewart and Ionescu weren’t about to make Brondello the scapegoat. Stewie, in fact, made it abundantly clear that finding blame wasn’t the Liberty’s style.

“We’re not gonna be a team that points fingers,” she added. “There’s a lot of us that could have done better this season, but we’re still gonna fight and show up for each other every single day. I think that’s the most important part.”