Liberty Move On From Chris DeMarco After One Season

One year after letting go of a championship coach, the New York Liberty are starting over again.

New York will not retain head coach Chris DeMarco after one season, sources told ESPN's Alexa Philippou on Tuesday. Front Office Sports, USA TODAY and Yahoo Sports have since reported the move. The team had not announced the decision or commented publicly as of Tuesday morning. The Liberty will now be hiring their third head coach in three years, and the fourth of general manager Jonathan Kolb's tenure, per ESPN.

A season of extremes

DeMarco's only season in New York never settled into a rhythm. The Liberty started 13-12 before a late push got them to 26-18 and the No. 8 seed, the last spot in the playoff field, according to ESPN. Along the way they won the Commissioner's Cup in June, per Front Office Sports.

Then came the high point. New York swept the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the best-of-three first round, which Yahoo Sports called the first time a No. 8 seed has knocked off a No. 1 in league history. The run stopped one round later. The No. 4 Atlanta Dream swept the Liberty 3-0 in the semifinals, and the last two losses came by a combined five points, per Yahoo. DeMarco took criticism for not calling a timeout in the final seconds of overtime in Game 2, a 101-98 loss.

Availability was a problem all year. ESPN notes that Sabrina Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich both missed time, Satou Sabally played 13 games before being ruled out for the season, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was waived four days after the trade deadline.

No vote of confidence

After the Atlanta series, DeMarco said without hesitation that he expected to be back in 2027, according to ESPN. His three stars were more careful. Asked about his future, Breanna Stewart, Ionescu and Jonquel Jones did not offer a definitive vote of confidence, ESPN reported.

"Those decisions aren't ours," Stewart said, per USA TODAY. Ionescu said she didn't know what would happen, adding, "Regardless, thankful for him coaching us this year and giving us a chance, and we just fell short."

Back to the search

New York hired DeMarco in late 2025 after more than a decade on the Golden State Warriors' staff, where he was part of four championship teams (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022). He also coaches the Bahamas men's national team. He had no WNBA coaching experience when he took the job, and ESPN reported at the time that he signed a multi-year deal. He replaced Sandy Brondello, who led the Liberty to the franchise's first WNBA title in 2024 and was let go in September 2025 after four seasons. Brondello now coaches the expansion Toronto Tempo.

No candidates have been named. Whoever gets the job inherits Stewart, Jones and Ionescu, all under contract, though Ionescu, 28, is the only one of the three under 30, per Front Office Sports. The Liberty have six players under contract for next season and about $3 million in cap space, according to Spotrac. They won't be shopping alone, either. The Los Angeles Sparks are also looking for a head coach, ESPN noted.

The last word

A year ago the Liberty moved on from a title-winning coach in search of something different. One season later, they have decided the different answer wasn't the right one either. DeMarco got New York further than Brondello's last team did, but a roster built around three stars doesn't have many seasons left to spend on experiments. The next hire is the one Kolb has to get right.

Sources: ESPN, Front Office Sports, USA TODAY, Yahoo Sports and Spotrac. More WNBA coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: John McClellan via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).