Chris DeMarco will not be retained as head coach of the New York Liberty after one year at the helm, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
After New York was eliminated from the playoffs in the semifinals, DeMarco said without hesitation that he expected to return in 2027. But New York's three stars -- Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones -- did not offer a definitive vote of confidence in him when asked whether it was their hope and expectation that he would be back.
The Liberty will be looking for their third coach in three years and fourth head coach hire under general manager Jonathan Kolb; they moved on from Sandy Brondello in September 2025 following a first-round playoff exit, one year removed from their franchise-first WNBA title.
New York - a team with internal and external championship expectations - had a rocky first year under DeMarco, who came to Brooklyn after spending over a decade on staff with the Golden State Warriors.
The Liberty started 13-12 before finishing the regular season at 26-18 - good to secure the No. 8 and final seed in the playoffs.
Player availability worked against them at times, as Ionescu and guard Leonie Fiebich missed significant time and Satou Sabally was limited to just 13 games before being ruled out for the season. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton also fell out of the rotation and was waived four days after the trade deadline.
New York swept the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx in the best-of-three first-round series before getting swept themselves, 3-0, by the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream in the semifinals. DeMarco is the second current head coach opening this WNBA offseason; the Los Angeles Sparks are also on the market for a new coach after moving on from Lynne Roberts.