New York Liberty Fire Chris DeMarco After One Year

The New York Liberty have decided to part ways with head coach Chris DeMarco after just one season. ESPN reports that the team will not retain DeMarco, who guided the Liberty to a 26-18 record and the No. 8 seed for the third consecutive season. DeMarco, previously an assistant coach with the NBA's Warriors for over a decade, was hired in December through a multi-year deal.

Despite upsetting the No. 1 seed Lynx in the playoffs, the Liberty were swept by the Dream in the semifinals and won the Commissioner’s Cup. This move means New York will have to hire their third head coach in three years, following the previous firing of Sandy Brondello last September. Brondello, now head coach of the Tempo, led the Liberty to their first WNBA title in 2024 before being fired after a first-round playoff loss in 2025.

The new head coach will inherit a talented core of stars Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu, all under contract, but the aging core and limited roster space pose challenges for the team's future success.