Liberty hire third head coach in three years after firing DeMarco

The New York Liberty are replacing their head coach for the third time in three seasons.

Chris DeMarco was dismissed on Tuesday, three days after the WNBA crowned its 2026 champion.

This is the third new head coach the franchise has installed in three years.

Sandy Brondello left in September 2025, just one season after New York won its first title.

DeMarco had spent more than a decade on the Golden State Warriors staff.

He also served as the head coach of the Bahamas men’s national team since 2019.

General Manager Jonathan Kolb said the players deserved the best possible leadership.

Kolb noted the team would take the necessary time to make a bold decision.

The Liberty’s record this season was 26-18.

That is their lowest win percentage since Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones joined the team in 2023.

The team won the Commissioner’s Cup in late June.

They stood at 13-12 heading into the All-Star break, showing inconsistency early in the year. The Liberty earned the eighth and final playoff seed with their final regular-season result. In the playoffs, they beat the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round. The Atlanta Dream, the fourth seed, swept the Liberty in the semifinals. This marked the second straight year the team failed to reach the WNBA Finals. DeMarco is the first non-interim coach in this specific situation to win a playoff series in his first season and still be let go. Breanna Stewart said the team needed to be ready from the very start of the season. She criticized the team’s lack of consistency. DeMarco helped reset the offense, and the team improved in the second half of the year. However, their defense remained far from elite even after Leonie Fiebich returned from injury. A defining moment came during the semifinal loss. The Liberty believed they had no timeouts left in overtime, but officials said otherwise. Instead of the coach taking ownership, the players spoke out publicly. Sabrina Ionescu assumed more accountability for the mishap than DeMarco did. That move signaled a disconnect in leadership. Kolb had described the franchise as focused on sustainable innovation rather than just results. The organization is now searching for a new head coach. Potential candidates include Lindsey Harding, an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. Other possibilities include former NBA assistant Becky Hammon or Stephanie White of the Indiana Fever. The team may also look to the college ranks. The Liberty will also address free agency in the coming weeks. Players like Pauline Astier, Marine Johannes, and Han Xu are set to become free agents. The front office aims to bolster wing depth and rebuild the supporting cast. Key players such as Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Ionescu, Fiebich, and Satou Sabally remain under contract. The team is awaiting updates on Sabally’s recovery from a second concussion in a year. Ionescu also faced health challenges this season, placing a heavy burden on Stewart to perform consistently.