Liberty hire Warriors’ assistant Chris DeMarco as franchise’s new coach: Sources

The New York Liberty have hired Chris DeMarco as the franchise’s new head coach, sources briefed on the matter confirmed to The Athletic on Friday.

DeMarco has been with the Golden State Warriors since 2012, working his way up from a video coordinator to a front-of-bench assistant. A former Division III player, he was a part of four NBA titles with Golden State. DeMarco also has served as the coach of the Bahamas men’s national team since 2019, where he worked with Ole Miss women’s basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. ESPN was the first to report the hire.

The Athletic previously reported that the Liberty were strongly interested in coaches with an NBA background after parting ways with WNBA lifer Sandy Brondello. They interviewed current and former NBA assistants, including Kristi Toliver, Will Weaver, Lindsey Harding and Jama Mahlalela.

DeMarco follows a trend of NBA assistants making the move to the WNBA, including Nate Tibbetts, who coached the Phoenix Mercury to the WNBA Finals in his second season at the helm. Newly-hired coaches Alex Sarama of the Portland Fire and Sonia Raman of the Seattle Storm also spent time on NBA staffs.

Although most of its roster is headed for free agency, New York expects to retain Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu and once again contend for a WNBA title after winning the franchise’s first championship in 2024.

General manager Jonathan Kolb wanted “evolution and innovation” with his next coaching hire and has plucked a coach from arguably the most unique NBA offense of the last 15 years. DeMarco will face the same sky-high expectations with the Liberty that he did with the Warriors.