The Phoenix Mercury announced on Monday that the team and its head coach, Sandy Brondello, have “mutually agreed to part ways.”
Per reporting by ESPN, Brondello’s contract expired at the end of the 2021 season, in which the Mercury advanced to the WNBA Finals with a 19-13 record. Her contract will not be renewed.
Brondello led the Mercury to eight playoff appearances in eight seasons, including two Finals appearances and a WNBA championship in 2014. She finishes her tenure in Phoenix with a 150-108 record.
“She oversaw our program with the utmost integrity, and I’m sincerely grateful for her partnership and friendship,” general manager Jim Pitman said. “At the same time, we understand that an eight-year tenure for a head coach is an exception in a professional sport, and we are confident a new voice is necessary for our team at this time.”
The Mercury lost to the Chicago Sky three games to one in the WNBA Finals in October, completing an improbable championship run for the Sky.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity and time that I have had with the Phoenix Mercury,” Brondello said in a statement.
–Field Level Media
