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 for the Golden State Warriors for a long time, will take over the position in the women’s basketball team. The final details of the agreement were finalized on Friday between Liberty executives and DeMarco’s agent, Brian Elfus. DeMarco has been with the Warriors since 2012, performing various roles including assistant coach and player development coach, contributing to the acquisition of four NBA titles. Since 2019, he has also been the head coach of the Bahamas national basketball team. Although DeMarco will be on the Warriors’ bench in the near future, he is expected to join the Liberty at some point this season. The exact date of his incorporation has not yet been determined. During his time with the Warriors, DeMarco managed the team’s defense and worked closely with players like Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole. 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 appointment this offseason. Predecessor Sandy Brondello’s contract expired in September.At the time of Brondello’s departure, Kolb stated that the franchise was seeking “evolution and innovation.” Brondello, who was with the team for four seasons, has expressed that she felt there was not a good connection between her and the Liberty’s management. With most of the roster in free agency this offseason, pending a new collective bargaining agreement, New York only has two players under contract: Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally. However, Kolb has stated that he has the “utmost confidence” that stars like Stewart, Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu will want to return to Brooklyn in 2026. According to sources, Ionescu contacted Steph Curry, Warriors star, during the hiring process to get information 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 Liberty
