WNBA's New York Liberty ruthlessly fire coach Chris DeMarco after just one season in charge

By JAKE FENNER, US SPORTS WRITER

The New York Liberty are pulling the plug on head coach Chris DeMarco after only his first season coaching in the WNBA.

DeMarco was fired by the team on Tuesday, despite leading the Liberty to a stunning playoff upset of the league's best team, the Minnesota Lynx.

The Liberty then lost the following round in a sweep to the Atlanta Dream, who would reach the WNBA Finals before losing in seven games to the Golden State Valkyries.

Before the Liberty, DeMarco only had head coaching experience with the Bahamas men's national basketball team. He previously was the assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors from 2012 to 2026.

DeMarco was hired to replace Sandy Brondello, who won the WNBA Finals with the team in 2024. Brondello's contract expired at the end of the last season, leading her to sign with the expansion Toronto Tempo.

When announcing DeMarco as the hire, Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said he wanted to be 'patient with the process' of hiring a first-time WNBA head coach.

The New York Liberty have fired their first-year head coach Chris DeMarco

DeMarco, a longtime Golden State Warriors assistant, replaced Sandy Brondello in New York

Under DeMarco, the Liberty won the Commissioners Cup and swept the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Dream (L: Sabrina Ionescu, R: Breanna Stewart)

But now, the Liberty will be searching for their third head coach in as many seasons. This will be the second time the team has done this, having previously gone through coaches Pat Coyle, Anne Donovan and John Whisenant from 2009 to 2011.

Despite the talent on their roster, including former MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, as well as star guard Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty only managed to squeak into the playoffs as the eighth seed.

Their upset sweep over the Lynx proved the team's quality, but their subsequent sweep out of the playoffs by the Dream cast doubt over DeMarco's future.

While the coach said he expected to be back in 2027, his players didn't exactly publicly advocate for his return.

'I don't know what's going to happen,' Ionescu told reporters after the season ended. 'Regardless, thankful for him coaching us this year and giving us a chance, and we just fell short.'

'Those decisions aren't ours,' said Stewart. 'I think my focus and what I'm thinking about right now is just: missed opportunity.'

The Liberty finished the season with a 26-18 record, one win short of their record last season, but they did take home some silverware via the WNBA Commissioner's Cup.