Liberty hiring Chris DeMarco, a longtime Warriors assistant, as head coach

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Nov 21, 2025

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NEW YORK — The Liberty landed their next head coach — and he comes with serious championship pedigree.

Chris DeMarco, a longtime assistant for the Golden State Warriors, agreed to a deal to become the next leader of the Liberty, the New York Daily News confirmed.

Friday’s decision follows a nearly two-month search to replace Sandy Brondello, whom the Liberty moved on from in September.

DeMarco won four NBA titles as a member of Steve Kerr’s staff, contributing in numerous roles to the dynasty headlined by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

His name had garnered considerable buzz in recent days in the Liberty’s extensive coaching search.

“For the most part, if you get into this thing, you get into the video room, you get into player development and become an assistant coach. If you don’t want to be a head coach or you’re afraid of being a head coach, it’s probably not the career you should be in,” DeMarco told The San Francisco Standard this month.

DeMarco, 40, spent the past 13 years with the Warriors, who hired him as an assistant video coordinator in 2012 when Mark Jackson was the head coach.

He became an assistant under Kerr in 2018 and had been in charge of running Golden State’s defense. He is also the head coach of the Bahamas men’s national basketball team.

DeMarco is now tasked with lifting a Liberty team that enters the 2026 season with championship-or-bust expectations.

After winning the first title in franchise history in 2024, the Liberty went 27-17 last season, were the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, and got eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Mercury.

Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart both missed time due to injuries, while Betnijah Laney-Hamilton sat out the full season after hurting her knee during the offseason.

The Liberty opted against retaining Brondello, the winningest coach in franchise history, when her contract expired following her fourth season with the team.

“It’s really important that I emphasize that this decision was in no way punitive, nor was it reactive, but it’s instead rooted in being proactive,” general manager Jonathan Kolb said on Sept. 25, two days after parting ways with Brondello, who has since been hired as the Toronto Tempo’s head coach.

“We need to nail this,” Kolb said. “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.”

DeMarco worked with Knicks head coach Mike Brown when the latter was a Warriors assistant from 2016-22.

Jama Mahlalela, a Warriors assistant from 2021-23 who now has the same role with the Toronto Raptors, was also considered for the Liberty job.

“Both of them are great human beings, first of all — really, really good people — and they’re about the right stuff. They’re coaches that are ready to take the next step,” Brown said Friday of DeMarco and Mahlalela, shortly before DeMarco was hired.

“Just like it’s time to give women opportunities in the NBA, it’s vice-versa, because basketball is basketball and both of those are great names, great basketball minds.”

The selection of DeMarco marks the first move in a pivotal offseason for the Liberty.

Stewart, Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud are among the Liberty’s free agents, and the WNBA is in the middle of discussions with the players union for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally are the Liberty’s only players under contract.