New York Liberty hiring Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as new head coach

The New York Liberty are hiring Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their new head coach, according to ESPN. 

DeMarco, who was with the Warriors for four NBA titles, also served as the head coach for the Bahamas men’s national basketball team and as an assistant coach in the NBA All-Star Game in 2015 and 2017.

The Liberty won the first title in franchise history in 2024, and got off to a 9-0 start last season. Injuries eventually derailed their campaign, however, and they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Mercury. Days after their Game 3 defeat, the Liberty announced that Brondello would not return as coach. 

During Brondello’s four seasons in charge, the Liberty went 107-53, won a franchise-record 32 games in both 2023 and 2024, never missed the playoffs and made two Finals appearances. In addition to their 2024 WNBA championship, Brondello also captured the Commissioner’s Cup title in 2023.

Despite all of Brondello’s success, general manager Jonathan Kolb and the Liberty’s brain trust felt it was necessary to go in a different direction to get the most out of their championship window. 

“Coming out of this season and really seeing an influx of change on many teams, it made the decision timeline tangible and one that we can be actionable on,” Kolb said during his exit interview about the decision to move on from Brondello. “You can stand still or you can embrace change and move forward. My commitment is to keep pushing the New York Liberty to new heights. We believe that embracing this change will bring a freshness and an energy to our group.”

The Liberty only have two players under contract for 2026 — Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally — and like every team in the league face a fascinating offseason. Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones have all expressed a desire to return, but it remains to be seen how free agency will work after a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified. In addition to trying to re-sign their Big Three, the Liberty will have big decisions to make about Natasha Cloud and Emma Meesseman.