Chris DeMarco, New Coach of the New York Liberty
The New York Liberty have reached an agreement to hire Chris DeMarco as their new head coach. DeMarco, who has been an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors for a long time, will bring his experience and knowledge to the team. The details of the agreement were finalized between the Liberty executives and DeMarco’s agent. DeMarco has been with the Warriors since 2012, performing various roles including assistant coach and player development coach. During his time in Golden State, the team managed to win four NBA titles. In addition to his work with the Warriors, DeMarco has been the head coach of the Bahamas men’s national basketball team since 2019. Although DeMarco will remain on the Warriors’ bench for a while, he is expected to join the Liberty at some point this season. The exact timing of his transition is still to be determined. DeMarco has worked closely with key players like Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole during his time with the Warriors, managing the team’s defense. Among the other candidates considered by the Liberty were Will Weaver, former assistant of the Brooklyn Nets, Kristi Toliver, former WNBA champion and current associate coach of the Phoenix Mercury, and Jama Mahlalela, assistant of the Toronto Raptors. The Liberty are one of the five WNBA teams that have made a head coach hiring this offseason. The contract of the previous coach, Sandy Brondello, expired in September.After winning their first WNBA championship in 2024, New York seemed capable of defending the title with a 9-0 start in 2025. However, injuries to key stars affected the team’s performance, and they were eliminated 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 asked: “How do 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 expressed that she felt there wasn’t a good connection between her and the Liberty’s management, indicating a lack of collaboration. Subsequently, she was hired as the first coach of the Toronto Tempo. With most of the roster in free agency 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 has expressed his “utmost confidence” that stars like Stewart, Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu will want to return to Brooklyn in 2026. Ionescu contacted Warriors star Steph Curry during the recruitment process to inquire about DeMarco.We need to get this right. 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, General Manager of the Liberty
