May 22, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) looks on during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Breanna Stewart Breaks Silence on Sandy Brondello Liberty Firing With 4-Word Message

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 11:04 AM ET

New York Liberty players Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu were sitting alongside Sandy Brondello (who was then still their head coach) during a postgame press conference after the Liberty were eliminated from the 2025 WNBA playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury on September 19.

At one point in the presser, 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 was astounded that this question was asked. She then responded by saying, "What the f***?" under her breath, which was picked up by her microphone and has since gone viral.

this is fryinggg me pic.twitter.com/rKa2mw4Pz0
— iz ও (@sunkisses4bella) September 20, 2025

Stewart then added, "I mean, to anybody that kind of questions Sandy being here, this is a resilient group, and she has our back, and we have hers. And the way that she continued to kind of, I don't know, deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible. It wasn't easy for anybody, but she came in every day with a positive attitude and a mindset to put us in our best position possible and our best foot forward.

"We're not gonna be a team that points fingers. 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, and I think that's the most important part," she added, per a YouTube video from the WNBA.

"We have Sandy's back."

The Liberty's front office didn't have Sandy's back, as news broke on September 24 that they wouldn't be renewing her contract. This ends her four-team tenure of New York's head coach.

Breanna Stewart, Other Liberty Players React to Sandy Brondello Firing

It seemingly took some of the Liberty players a few hours to gather their thoughts on their head coach getting let go less than a year after she won the 2024 WNBA championship.

However, several social media posts came pouring in as Tuesday progressed. Perhaps the most notable came from Stewart, who reposted the Liberty's thank-you post for Brondello to her Instagram story and wrote, "Eternally thankful for you @brondellosandy ❤️".

New York guard Natasha Cloud also made a post, writing, "@brondellosandy a beautiful soul mate ".

Leonie Fiebich also wrote, "what a legend ," in a post. Jonquel Jones and Ionescu haven't posted anything yet, but those could be coming soon.