Liberty hires Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as new coach

Chris DeMarco, New York Liberty’s new coach

The New York Liberty have reached an agreement to hire Chris DeMarco, assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors, as their new head coach. The terms of the agreement were finalized by Liberty executives and DeMarco’s agent, Brian Elfus. DeMarco, who has been with the Warriors since 2012, has held 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 men’s national basketball team. Although DeMarco will be on the Warriors’ bench in the short term, he is expected to join the Liberty at some point this season. The exact schedule is yet to be determined. 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 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.

“We need to get this right,” said Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb in September about the hiring. “If we’re going to make a bold decision like this, our players deserve to get the best, and that’s why we’ll take the time we need.”

Jonathan Kolb

After winning their first WNBA championship in 2024, New York seemed capable of defending the title with a 9-0 start in 2025, but injuries to stars like Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and others led the team to be 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 officially hired as the first coach of the Toronto Tempo. With most of the roster entering free agency this offseason, pending a new collective bargaining agreement, New York only has two players under contract: veterans Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally. However, Kolb has expressed his “utmost confidence” that stars Stewart, Jones, and the 2020 first draft pick, Sabrina Ionescu, will want to return to Brooklyn in 2026. Ionescu contacted Warriors star Steph Curry during the recruitment process to ask about DeMarco.