The New York Liberty have fired Chris DeMarco after only one season, a quick move that sends the franchise back into the coaching market after another postseason disappointment.
DeMarco was hired in late April as a first-time WNBA head coach, and Jonathan Kolb said at the time that he was willing to be patient with the process. Six months later, that patience is gone. The Liberty made the change on Tuesday after a season that included both a second Commissioner’s Cup and a frustrating finish in the playoffs.
A short run ends quickly
DeMarco came to the job with a long NBA background, including time as an assistant with the Warriors, but he did not have a background in women’s basketball. That made him an unusual hire for a team trying to keep contending around Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart while also navigating a change on the sideline.
The Liberty did win games and collect hardware during the season, but they also had a rough midseason stretch and went 2-8 during one portion of the schedule. After the regular season, they entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. From there, the run ended in the semifinals, where the Liberty were swept by the Atlanta Dream.
Another search for Jonathan Kolb
For Kolb, the firing means another coaching search is coming. The Liberty are now facing their fourth coaching search since 2019, and this one arrives after the previous change came a year after Sandy Brondello led the franchise to its first WNBA championship.
Kolb had already signaled how important the next hire would be when he said he had to nail the decision after moving on from Brondello. That pressure only grows now, because the Liberty still have a stacked roster but have again fallen short of the standard they set with a championship.
After the season-ending Game 3 loss, DeMarco said he expected to return in 2027. That did not happen. Sabrina Ionescu said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” while also thanking DeMarco for coaching the team this year. Breanna Stewart was equally direct, saying those decisions were not the players’ to make and calling it a missed opportunity.
The Liberty now have to reset again, and the next coach will be expected to steady a team that remains talented but has been defined too often lately by turnover and unfinished business.
