Liberty part ways with coach Chris DeMarco, creating the WNBA's best job opening

The New York Liberty will be looking for their third coach in three years this offseason Nov 3, 2026 at 11:05 am ET • 3 min read The New York Liberty have opted not to retain head coach Chris DeMarco after one season. The Liberty made the playoffs as the eighth and final seed, and got off to a strong postseason start by sweeping the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round. However, the preseason title favorites followed that up by being swept by the Atlanta Dream in the semifinals. It was another disappointing end to a season for the 2024 WNBA champions, who lost in the first round in 2025 and subsequently parted ways with head coach Sandy Brondello, who led the franchise to its first championship and back-to-back WNBA Finals.This means the Liberty are looking for their third head coach in three seasons.What went wrong for DeMarco?DeMarco was a surprising hire -- the longtime Golden State Warriors assistant had no major head-coaching experience and little to no familiarity with the WNBA or the Liberty franchise, even admitting as such in his introductory press conference. The learning curve was a steep one, and he often seemed flustered during the Liberty's inconsistent regular season. However, the Liberty also had to deal with multiple injuries and absences throughout the season, and there was hope things would come together for the playoffs.But after the strong first round, DeMarco's inexperience and his lack of leadership and accountability were spotlighted at the end of Game 2 of the semifinals against the Dream, when he failed to use a reset timeout with 4.3 seconds remaining on the clock and the team down by three points. There was a lot of finger-pointing after the game -- with Breanna Stewart claiming the refs told her they didn't have a reset timeout, and the refs refuting that account -- but through it all, DeMarco took little responsibility for the failure, simply saying in press after Game 2 that Stewart's account was right and that "it is what it is."After the sweep, DeMarco said that he expected to be back for 2027, but he did not get a lot of support from his players. Sabrina Ionescu said DeMarco's future was "not our decision," and Jonquel Jones added, "That's not our say. our job is to go out there and play good basketball."Stewart was similarly evasive."I don't think we were consistent throughout the season," she said when asked about DeMarco. "I think that we started to show some life and peak a little bit in towards the end and in the playoffs. But this is not like cramming for a test. You got to be ready and ready to go since the jump." The Liberty job is the best in the league Right now, the Liberty franchise looks like a chaotic mess given the turnover at the head coaching position. But it remains a phenomenal opportunity for the right person -- particularly since coaching vacancies are so scarce right now. The only other head coaching vacancy in the league at this point is the Los Angeles Sparks job; the Sparks fired Lynne Roberts in September after two seasons with the team.But while the Sparks are one of the league's marquee franchises, they haven't made the playoffs or had a winning season since 2020; the team lost their two All-Stars this season, trading Kelsey Plum to Phoenix and having Nneka Ogwumike retire; and the franchise is currently up for sale.Meanwhile, the Liberty have one of the most invested ownership groups in the league with Clara Wu and Joseph Tsai, a proven general manager in Jonathan Kolb and a boatload of talent still under contract. Stewart, Ionescu and Jones are all under contract for another two years, and Satou Sabally and Leonie Fiebich are still under contract next season. While Sabally's health is a question mark -- she missed the second half of the season after suffering her second concussion in 10 months -- that is a championship-contending starting five. Stewart in particular had a phenomenal season, averaging 20.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks, making the first-team All-WNBA team and finishing fifth in MVP voting, while Jones was named an All-Star and earned All-Star MVP. The Liberty also won the Commissioner's Cup this season.This is a job that a coach can step into and win immediately. The only problem? Winning is the expectation and the rule; there is clearly little patience for anything else.