Liberty fire Chris DeMarco after late-season surge, playoff upset - USA Today

The New York Liberty have fired head coach Chris DeMarco, the team announced on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The Liberty started 13-12 in 2026 but got things going to finish 26-18 and earn the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. They defeated the No. 1-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the playoffs, becoming the first-ever No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1, before losing to the No. 4-seeded Atlanta Dream in the semifinals.

DeMarco expressed confidence after the Liberty were swept by the Dream that he would return in 2027. His players did not seem as sure, including two of the Liberty's Big 3 of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones.

“Those decisions aren’t ours,” Stewart said when she was asked about the the coach's future. “I think my focus and what I’m thinking about right now is just: missed opportunity.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ionescu said. “Regardless, thankful for him coaching us this year and giving us a chance, and we just fell short.”

Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb will be looking for his fourth head coach since 2020. They fired Sandy Brondello in September 2025 following a first-round playoff exit after she led the franchise to their first WNBA title in 2024.

"We need to nail this," Kolb told reporters last year of the hire, after letting Brondello go. "If we're going to make a bold decision like this, our players deserve to get the best."

DeMarco, 40, previously spent 14 seasons with the Warriors, including more than 10 seasons as an assistant coach, where he focused on individual skill development and systems. He earned four championships with Golden State in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.

"I don't think we were consistent throughout the season," Stewart said when asked about the season under DeMarco. "I think that we started to show some life and peak a little bit in towards the end and in the playoffs. But this is not like cramming for a test. You got to be ready and ready to go since the jump."

DeMarco is the second head coach to be fired this offseason. The Los Angeles Sparks fired Lynne Roberts in September after they failed to make the playoffs.

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