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 served as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors for a long time, will take the reins of the women’s basketball team. The terms of the agreement were finalized on Friday by 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 team winning 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 near future, he is expected to join the Liberty at some point this season. The exact timeframe is yet to be 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, and Kristi Toliver, former WNBA champion and current associate coach of the Phoenix Mercury. The Liberty are one of the five WNBA teams that have hired a head coach this offseason. Former coach Sandy Brondello, whose contract expired in September, was replaced. Alex Sarama (Portland Fire) and Sonia Raman (Seattle Storm) also chose 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 like Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, 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.” Brondello, who was with the team for four seasons, has since indicated that she felt there was not a good connection with the Liberty’s management. With most of the roster 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 Sabrina Ionescu will want to return to Brooklyn in 2026. According to sources, 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
