NEW YORK — Sandy Brondello didn’t emerge from the visitor tunnel until roughly three minutes before tipoff between her new Toronto Tempo and her former New York Liberty.A series of greetings ensued as soon as she did.First, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton came over to the Tempo bench as she worked through some last-minute warmups. Then Leonie Fiebich. At one point, one of Brondello’s new staff members rested their hand on her back in a way that appeared to say, “Enjoy this.”Before the Tempo’s 97-82 loss on Wednesday night to the Liberty, Brondello said she hoped the celebration would be limited to the pictures displayed on screens throughout Barclays Center welcoming back her, Isabelle Harrison, Nyara Sabally, and assistants Olaf Lange and Brian Lankton to Brooklyn. But during the first timeout, the Liberty’s public address announcer directed everyone’s attention to the video board for a tribute.“Coming back, obviously it was nice,” Brondello said after the game, referencing her four historic seasons with the franchise before parting ways this offseason. “Everyone moves around this league. Going back to an old team and to get the appreciation that we get, that’s always special. The fans here have been amazing. It’s a special group here and something that we’ll remember.”Upon landing in the city Tuesday afternoon, Brondello said she felt no notable emotion.She immediately drove into Manhattan for a speaking engagement at the Australian American Association, which served as a source of entertainment for the former Liberty coach.In fact, Brondello seemed taken aback by how often she was asked how she feels. Maybe she truly felt nothing — or maybe after four years, two WNBA Finals appearances, one historic championship run and an abrupt departure, her range of emotions was too much to simplify. What she was willing to say is that in Toronto, she feels supported and can be herself.“I’m going to coach some great games, some good games, and I’m going to make some mistakes,” Brondello said. “Let me learn by doing it. I’ve been doing this for quite a long time. I know what a winning culture looks like and a winning team.”Brondello wasn’t surprised by the Liberty’s decision to part with her after the 2025 season. “It’s part of the business, isn’t it?”In four seasons, she became the winningest coach in franchise history, accumulating a 123-64 overall record and leading the organization to its first WNBA championship. Despite that success, the pairing was no longer viable. The Liberty (6-4) hired Chris DeMarco, a former assistant with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.