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New York Liberty fire head coach Chris DeMarco
The New York Liberty have fired head coach Chris DeMarco after just one season, the franchise announced Tuesday. DeMarco, who joined the team in December following a decade-long tenure as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, had no prior WNBA coaching experience.
The Liberty finished the 2026 regular season with a 26-18 record, securing the eighth seed. While the team achieved a first-round playoff sweep against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, they were subsequently swept in the semifinals by the Atlanta Dream. During the semifinal series, the coaching staff reportedly failed to realize they had a reset timeout remaining during overtime in Game 2.
This departure marks the third coaching change for the Liberty in three seasons. General Manager Jonathan Kolb, who did not retain Sandy Brondello after the 2025 season, will now lead the search for a new head coach.
Entities
Atlanta Dream · Chris DeMarco · Jonathan Kolb · New York Liberty · Sabrina Ionescu
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Liberty will be looking for its third coach in three seasons. www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] The New York Liberty fired head coach Chris DeMarco. www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] DeMarco served as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors for more than a decade. www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] General Manager Jonathan Kolb did not retain Sandy Brondello after the 2025 season. www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Atlanta Dream swept the Liberty in the semifinals. heavy.com · www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Liberty coaching staff did not know they had a reset timeout left in overtime during Game 2 of the semifinals. www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Sabrina Ionescu stated that DeMarco’s future was ‘not our decision.’ wtop.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Liberty swept the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the playoffs. heavy.com · www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com