The first coaching change of the WNBA offseason is here, and it comes from New York. The Liberty fired head coach Chris DeMarco on Tuesday after just one season, according to NBC Sports, which cited an ESPN report.
The News
DeMarco was hired last December after more than a decade as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors. It was his first WNBA job. He was still under contract for next season. The Liberty will now be looking for their third head coach in three seasons, after general manager Jonathan Kolb did not bring back Sandy Brondello following the 2025 season.
Why It Matters
New York won the WNBA title two years ago, and expectations were high again with Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones on the roster. Instead, the Liberty went 26-18 and finished as the No. 8 seed.
They did make some noise in the playoffs, sweeping the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round. But they were swept in the semifinals by the Atlanta Dream, the team that went on to push Golden State to seven games in the Finals. NBC Sports noted a costly mistake in Game 2, when the staff did not realize New York still had a timeout left late in overtime while trailing by three.
After the final loss, none of the Liberty’s three stars gave DeMarco a clear vote of confidence. Ionescu said his future was “not our decision.”
What’s Next
This will be Kolb’s fourth coaching search since 2019. I will cover the hire when it happens, along with any other coaching changes this offseason. My offseason preview has the rest of what’s coming, including the draft lottery on Nov. 15.
Featured photo: Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, 2024 WNBA Finals by John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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