Chris DeMarco, New York Liberty’s New Head Coach
The New York Liberty have reached an agreement to hire Chris DeMarco as their new head coach. DeMarco, who served as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors for a long time, will take over the position after the terms of the agreement are finalized on Friday. DeMarco has been with the Warriors since 2012, initially under Mark Jackson. During his time with the team, he held various roles, including assistant coach and player development coach, contributing to the conquest of four NBA titles. Since 2019, he has also been the head coach of the Bahamas men’s national basketball team. DeMarco was responsible for the Warriors’ defense and worked closely with Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole during his time on the team. Among the other candidates considered for the position were Will Weaver, former assistant for the Brooklyn Nets; Kristi Toliver, former WNBA champion and current associate coach for the Phoenix Mercury; and Jama Mahlalela, assistant for the Toronto Raptors. The Liberty are one of five WNBA teams that have made a head coaching hire this offseason, following the expiration of Sandy Brondello’s contract in September. The Portland Fire (Alex Sarama) and Seattle Storm (Sonia Raman) also opted for coaches with NBA experience.After winning their first WNBA championship in 2024, New York seemed capable of defending the title with a 9-0 start in 2025, before injuries affected stars Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, and several other players, resulting in the team’s elimination in the first round of the postseason. At the time of Brondello’s departure, Kolb stated that the franchise was seeking “evolution and innovation” and “how we position ourselves to be at the top of the league in a truly sustainable way as the league evolves.” Brondello, who was with the team for four seasons, has said that she felt there was not a good connection between her and the Liberty’s management, and indicated that there was a lack of collaboration. She was officially hired as the first coach of the Toronto Tempo earlier this month. With all but two veterans of the league becoming free agents this offseason, as players await a new collective bargaining agreement, New York only has two players under contract: Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally. However, Kolb expressed his “utmost confidence” that stars Stewart, Jones, and the 2020 number 1 pick, Sabrina Ionescu, will want to return to Brooklyn in 2026.“We need to get this right,” Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said in September about the new hire. “If we’re going to make a bold decision like this, our players deserve the best, so we’ll take the time we need.”
Jonathan Kolb
