Sandy Brondello reveals why she chose Tempo over Paige Bueckers’ Wings originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Sandy Brondello on Tuesday was announced as the first coach in Toronto Tempo history — but her surprise coaching free agency period saw two other options emerge that she seriously considered.
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Brondello and the New York Liberty parted ways in September, after the Liberty’s WNBA title defense ended with a first-round playoff loss to the Phoenix Mercury. All of a sudden, Brondello — a two-time WNBA champion as a head coach — found herself on the market.
In a new interview with The Athletic, Brondello revealed that she had “three great possible situations” arise, and that it was a “fun” process to decide which opportunity was best for her. In the end, Brondello took the opportunity to push the Tempo in Toronto — but she could have been Paige Bueckers’ new coach in Dallas.
Brondello was tempted by the chance to work with Bueckers
In conversation with The Athletic’s Ben Pickman, Brondello revealed that she was contacted by the Wings and the Seattle Storm as they sought new voices on the sideline. Brondello, whose 269 regular-season wins are the second-most by an active coach, weighed up the pros and cons of joining a Seattle team with championship experience — as well as a Dallas team led by Bueckers, one of the most exciting players in the sport and the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year for 2025.
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“In Seattle, I probably could have had a chance to win straight away. In Dallas, there’s Paige Bueckers,” Brondello said. “But I just felt like building something from the ground up, doing something new, and doing it in a different country.
“Ultimately, it comes back to the people — the vision Monica and team president Teresa Resch had. They sold me on that.”
Seattle ultimately pivoted to Sonia Raman, one of Brondello’s assistants in New York, as their next head coach. Dallas chose Jose Fernandez, the longtime head coach at the University of South Florida, who met with Geno Auriemma‘s stamp of approval.
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Only time will tell as to whether Brondello will build the kind of winning team she envisions in Toronto. But fans will wonder as to what a Brondello-Bueckers pairing might have done to the rest of the WNBA.
