“Olaf’s track record as a coach and developer, both internationally and in the WNBA, will surely be an asset to our rising young core.” That’s how New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello introduced a new addition to her coaching staff. Olaf Lange and Brondello have been married since 2005. Interestingly, this is not the first time they have been part of the same coaching setup.

Olaf Lange already has 15 seasons of WNBA experience under his belt in different roles. His career started in Germany for BTV Wuppertal. The German native joined as an assistant when Brondello was still playing. The pair quickly hit off and began dating a year later, and are parents to two kids Brody (17) and Jayda (14).

Exploring Olaf Lange and his German coaching roots

Before his coaching career, the 52-year-old completed his degree in sports science at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The Berlin-born then earned his assistant gig, which he did till 1997. In that year, he also obtained ‘A license’ coach from the German Basketball Association and achieved promotion as well with the team. BTV 1846 Wuppertal would win five consecutive championships (1998-2002).

His head coaching responsibility continued with the national team as he became the head honcho for the German women’s national basketball team (2001-2003). After that, he was an assistant coach for the German men’s national team and head coach of the German under-20 men’s team. This time, he spread his assistant coach duties, not just in Germany, as he was also an assistant coach for Spain’s Ros Casares Valencia and won the FIBA SuperCup championship.

In 2005, he got his first call to America, and he accepted the role of associate head coach for Liberty University’s Lady Flames, where he spent two seasons. Post those seasons, a WNBA team came calling and knocking on the door, and he accepted it with open arms. Olaf Lange joined the now-relocated San Antonio Stars as an assistant coach and coordinator of Player Personnel Development. Here, even his wife, Sandy Brondello, was working in the assistant capacity.

Both Brondello and Lange upgraded their role during the 2010 season, where the former was made the Head Coach, and the latter was the Associate Head Coach.

After not-so-satisfactory results, both moved on to different paths. Brondello continued in the WNBA while Olaf Lange moved around the globe with few part-time WNBA commitments. He moved to Australia in 2010, and assumed the role of Head Coach GM, at BDS Logan Thunder for 2 years. Then he would take off to Russia, where success came in from all directions.

For his 5-year, 5-month stint with UMMC Ekaterinburg, they were back-to-back Russian Premier League Champions. That too from 2013 to 2017 consecutively 5 championships, also crowned the FIBA EuroLeague Championship in 2013 and 2016. During that spell in Russia, Lange would also work as an in-season game consultant with LA Sparks (2013) and Mercury (2017 and 18).

Return to the WNBA and a role with wife Sandy Brondello

He came back to the W, as a full-time assistant coach with the Chicago Sky. “I am thrilled and honored for the opportunity to be a part of the Chicago Sky and to work alongside James Wade and his coaching staff.” Even coach Wade had positive words, “He is a players’ coach who brings immeasurable value to every team that he coaches. ”

The couple would eventually lock horns in the 2021 WNBA Finals, as Brondello’s Mercury faced the Sky. “The Finals obviously takes it to a different level. There’s more pressure on her as a head coach than on me. I give her a little more space now than maybe in the regular season games. But for us, it’s not a big deal. We’re both very down to earth people.”

Olaf Lange got the last laugh in the spouses’ battle as the Mercury failed and lost 3-1 in the series. Since his role in Chi-Town in 2019, Lange also received the Australian women’s team’s assistant role where Brondello was the head coach. They were successful this year during the Olympics and secured a bronze medal.

Similarly, after the 2021 season, Olaf Lange once again returned to the WNBA and this time to the Liberty. That was his 15th season in the WNBA, and after being the victor against his wife, this time they have a chance to lift the trophy together. “It’s great (that) we’re in this journey together,” Brondello spoke to reporters last year. “He’s been coaching, been a head coach for a much longer time, I played for a long time. He coached me and I’ve learned so much from him. So it’s great that we’re on this journey together with our children.” It would definitely be fun and emotional for Brondello and Lange if they win the trophy.