Australian basketball great Sandy Brondello admits she feared her legacy would be tarred by a comment she directed towards WNBA star Angel Reese earlier this year.
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she → admit → Reese
Brondello, who is one of basketball’s most respected figures and coach of the Toronto Tempo as well as the Australian Opals, has been inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, just months after she was suspended for describing Reese as a “protected species” to referees.
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she → induct → referees
“Protected species” is a commonly used phrase in Australian sports to express frustration for a lack of calls against a player.
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species → use → player
In the US, however, there are different connotations and it was deemed derogatory towards black people.
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it → be → people
Brondello told this masthead she had been “quite stressed for a while” about the incident, and had feared it would impact her legacy.
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it → tell → legacy
She said the incident had taught her to not get so worked up about refereeing, and she had adopted a calmer demeanour since.
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she → say → demeanour
“I think I showed my leadership by just apologising and understanding.
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I → think → leadership
You know, I need to be better, too,” she said.
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she → know → ?
“And even though it is an Australian phrase, and it meant no harm … I wanted to take ownership for it because, like, I’m hey, I’m a 58-year-old coach, and you know, Angel’s still just paving her way in this career.
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Angel → mean → career
She said she did worry about how the incident would hurt her character.
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incident → say → character
“Because that’s so important for me,” she said.
“I’ve always had great sportsmanship, win or lose.
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I → ’ → sportsmanship
I have respect for all these players.
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I → have → players
So, it was just an unfortunate situation, but I think I’ve come through the other end because all you can do is, you know, what I’ve done before.”
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I → think → what
“That’s what I’ve prided myself on for my whole career, even as a player – there is a right way to compete and be a great sportsman, and have sportsmanship.”
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I → ’ → sportsmanship
Brondello has been a trailblazer of Australian women’s basketball, a dynamic shooting guard and key figure in the rise of the Opals who later became one of the world’s best coaches, leading multiple teams in the WNBA, and guiding the Opals through World Cup and Olympic campaigns.
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who → become → campaigns
As a player, Brondello represented Australia in 302 games, including four Olympic Games and four FIBA world championships.
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Brondello → represent → Games
She was a prominent member of the first Australian basketball team to win an Olympic medal, claiming bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Games, before pocketing silver in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.
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She → win → 2004
She enjoyed more success in Europe, before playing 159 WNBA matches with Detroit Shock, Miami Sol and Seattle Storm, earning All-Star selection in 1999.
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She → enjoy → 1999
“Sometimes I have to pinch myself, it’s been quite the journey.
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it → have → myself
From humble beginnings, and I had a great upbringing, growing up in the country and being able to achieve at such a young age, making the Australian team at 18.
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I → have → 18
I mean, who would have thought that?” Brondello said.
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Brondello → mean → that
And I always wanted to coach the best in the world.
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I → want → world
Things have worked out for me.
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Things → work → me
I’ve had a longer coaching career than a pro basketball career, but they’ve both been very, very rewarding.”
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they → have → career
As a coach, Brondello spent five years in Russia, before leading the Phoenix Mercury to the 2014 WNBA championship when she was named the coach of the year.
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she → spend → year
Another title came with the New York Liberty in 2024, Brondello finding the right modern balance between being “human driven, data informed” in an era when players no longer accept being berated for mistakes.
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players → come → mistakes
She led the Opals to silver at the 2018 World Cup, bronze at the 2022 World Cup and bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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She → lead → Olympics
Injuries cruelled the Opals’ bid for a medal last month at the FIBA World Cup in Berlin, but the Olympics in Los Angeles, and possibly Brisbane, await.
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Olympics → cruelle → Angeles
At this year’s World Cup, there was the possibility Brondello would coach against her husband, Olaf Lange, who is also her associate head coach with the Tempo.
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who → be → Tempo
That did not eventuate, but it could happen in LA.
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it → eventuate → LA
“We have similar philosophies, but we’re different in our leadership roles.
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we → have → roles
Like he’s obviously German, I’m more of an instinctual coach, he’s more cerebral,” Brondello, also a mother of two, said.
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Brondello → ’ → two
Inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, Brondello shows no signs of slowing down, her passion for the game as strong as ever.
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passion → induct → game
“I’ve never fallen out of love with it.
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I → fall → it
During my injuries, I never did, and I just knew when I retired after the Athens Olympics, I just knew it was time because I had achieved everything,” Brondello said.
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Brondello → do → everything
“So I thought, I just wanted a new challenge …
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I → think → challenge
I’ve had highs and lows.
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I → have → highs
And, I mean, that’s what it’s about.
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it → mean → what
I’m 58 years of age, and you know, every year I’m just about: ‘How do I get better?’, and that excites me.”
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that → ’m → me
‘Lateral thinking’: Sthalekar’s message to cricket bosses
Australian cricket great and long-time player advocate Lisa Sthalekar says authorities must find a way to schedule women’s cricket in the peak of summer to help grow the game.
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authorities → say → game
…and 29 more, not listed.
The Aporia
