When the New York Liberty declined to renew Sandy Brondello’s contract, less than four days after their first-round exit from the WNBA playoffs and a year removed from their first WNBA title, it became clear the franchise was preparing to take a big swing.
“We need to nail this,” sixth-year general manager Jonathan Kolb said in a September exit interview.
Advertisement
“If we’re going to make a bold decision like this, our players deserve to get the best, and so we’ll take the time necessary.”
Over two months later that swing connected. The Liberty have hired longtime Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their next head coach, the team announced on Wednesday.
“After a thorough search, we could not be more thrilled to welcome Chris DeMarco as our head coach,” said Kolb in a statement. “Throughout the process, our goal was clear: identify a leader who could elevate our culture, implement elite-level systems, and bring a modern vision for how to guide this franchise forward on the court.”
“Chris is a proven winner whose approach has been shaped by more than a decade inside one of basketball’s most successful dynasties. He has seen firsthand what it takes to build a championship standard, and his clarity, adaptability, and player-development expertise will be invaluable as we strive to deliver the best version of the New York Liberty for our players, organization, and amazing fans.”
DeMarco has served in various roles with the Warriors, first under Mark Jackson and then under Steve Kerr, and helped Kerr launch the NBA’s latest dynasty, which resulted in four championships from 2015 to 2022.
He has previous head coaching experience, too, as he’s led the Bahamian senior men’s national team since 2019.
Advertisement
In addition to working as a player development coach, DeMarco’s run with the Warriors saw him manage the team’s defense, according to ESPN’s report, which included that DeMarco was especially hands-on with Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole when they were playing for Golden State.
The Liberty considered former Brooklyn Nets assistant Will Weaver, Toronto Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela and current Phoenix Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver, among other candidates, per ESPN.
The Liberty appeared poised to defend their 2024 WNBA championship during the 2025 season. Injuries got in the way.
Advertisement
After starting the year 9-0, they went 18-17 the rest of the regular season before ultimately losing a first-round winner-take-all Game 3 to the Mercury, who eventually got swept in the WNBA Finals by the Las Vegas Aces.
Several New York players were sidelined throughout the year. Missing center Jonquel Jones, a one-time league MVP and one-time WNBA Finals MVP, and forward Breanna Stewart, a two-time league MVP and two-time WNBA Finals MVP, for significant time was a hearty blow to their frontcourt.
The Liberty notably added three-time defending Euroleague MVP and 2019 WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman midseason to try to bolster their injury-riddled roster. But an uneven finish to their regular season and a premature end to their postseason precipitated the Liberty’s call to move in a different direction.
New York made back-to-back Finals appearances in Brondello’s four-year stay, which followed an eight-year stretch in Phoenix, where she won it all with the Mercury in 2014. She coached the Liberty to four consecutive playoff berths, tied with Richie Adubato for the most in a row by a head coach in the franchise’s history. Adubato accomplished that feat from 1999 to 2002.
Advertisement
Kolb emphasized, though, that the franchise doesn’t believe in making decisions based on the past.
The WNBA is evolving. For one, the league is adding two new teams next season. One of them, the Toronto Tempo, hired Brondello to be their first head coach earlier this month.
Not only is the WNBA growing, but the stakes are getting higher, too. There’s never been more urgency to deliver wins and titles for burgeoning fan bases.
As the countdown toward the expiration of the WNBA collective bargaining agreement continues, a lot about next season is up in the air, including where most of the league’s veterans will play. Kolb expressed confidence this fall that the Liberty can retain their biggest stars.
Advertisement
They’d be led by DeMarco, New York’s future-oriented head-coaching hire.
