New York Liberty hiring Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as new head coach, per report
DeMarco helped the Warriors to four NBA titles during his tenure
By
Jack Maloney
•
2 min read
The New York Liberty are hiring Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their new head coach, according to ESPN. DeMarco will remain on the bench for the Warriors for the time being, and it has not yet been determined when he will make the switch to working solely with the Liberty.
DeMarco, who has been with the Warriors since 2012, helped the franchise win four NBA titles and is regarded as a defensive specialist. He has also served as the head coach for the Bahamas men's national basketball team since 2019. Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu reached out to Warriors star Steph Curry during this process to get his thoughts on DeMarco, per ESPN.
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, 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.
