New York Liberty Fire Chris DeMarco After One Season Despite Playoff Upset

The New York Liberty have fired head coach Chris DeMarco after just one season, ending a short tenure that included one of the biggest upsets in WNBA playoff history. The Liberty announced the decision on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, even though DeMarco remained under contract for 2027. The move makes New York one of the most watched teams of the WNBA offseason, with a championship-calibre roster, two of the league's biggest stars, and now a vacant head-coaching job.

DeMarco arrived in December with no prior experience as a WNBA head coach, after more than a decade as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. He leaves with a 26-18 regular-season record and a playoff run that briefly made the Liberty look like contenders again, before a semifinal sweep ended the season abruptly.

Key Points

• The New York Liberty fired head coach Chris DeMarco on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, after one season, despite him being under contract for 2027.
• New York finished 26-18, took the No. 8 seed, and swept the No. 1-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round, the first No. 8 seed ever to beat a No. 1 seed.
• The Liberty were then swept by the No. 4-seeded Atlanta Dream in the semifinals, including a costly overtime timeout error in Game 2.
• General manager Jonathan Kolb will lead his fourth coaching search since 2019, the franchise's third coach in three seasons.
• DeMarco is the second WNBA head coach fired this offseason, after the Los Angeles Sparks parted with Lynne Roberts in September.

What Happened

The Liberty confirmed on Tuesday that DeMarco would not return, closing a season that began unevenly and finished with a genuine shock. New York started 13-12 before finding its rhythm, closing the regular season at 26-18 and slipping into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. Few gave the Liberty much chance against Minnesota, the league's top seed, but New York swept the Lynx in the first round to record the first victory by a No. 8 seed over a No. 1 seed in WNBA playoff history.

The celebrations did not last. In the semifinals, the No. 4-seeded Atlanta Dream swept the Liberty, and the series turned on a Game 2 overtime timeout error that became a talking point across the league. After the sweep, DeMarco said he expected to return in 2027, a view now clearly out of step with the front office's thinking. Stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, meanwhile, were non-committal when asked about the coach's future, neither offering public backing.

Background/Context

DeMarco's appointment was always a gamble. He joined the Liberty in December after more than a decade on the Golden State Warriors' bench, where he won four NBA championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. That pedigree made him an attractive candidate, but the WNBA is a different league. DeMarco had never been a head coach in the women's game before taking the New York job.

The context matters because of what came before him. The Liberty won the WNBA title in 2024, then fired head coach Sandy Brondello in September 2025 after the following season fell short. DeMarco was hired to steady the franchise and take a talented roster back towards the top. Instead, after one season, he has followed Brondello out of the door, leaving the Liberty looking for their third head coach in three seasons.

Why the New York Liberty Fired Chris DeMarco

The Liberty have not publicly detailed their reasons, so the exact thinking inside the front office remains private. But the shape of the season tells its own story. A 13-12 start suggested a team that took too long to find its identity, and the No. 8 seeding meant New York needed a miracle just to reach the second round. The sweep of Minnesota provided that miracle, yet the semifinal sweep by Atlanta restored the doubts just as quickly.

The Game 2 overtime timeout error in the Atlanta series will have hurt DeMarco's case. In playoff basketball, a single late-game mistake is magnified, and coaches are judged as much on those moments as on months of steady work. Together with the non-committal responses from Stewart and Ionescu, it paints a coach who had lost key confidence.

Reactions/Quotes

Public reaction so far has been shaped more by what was not said than by formal statements. After the semifinal sweep, DeMarco said he expected to return in 2027, making clear he believed his first season had earned him another year. That expectation was not shared by the front office, which moved within weeks of the season's end.

Stewart and Ionescu, the two players whose view carries most weight, were non-committal when asked about DeMarco's future. In a league where star players often speak up for a coach they want to keep, silence is itself a signal.

Why It Matters

The Liberty job is now one of the most attractive openings in women's basketball. New York has a major market, a recent championship pedigree, and a roster headlined by two of the sport's biggest names. Whoever takes over must contend immediately, and the appointment will shape the WNBA next season.

The decision also matters for how the league treats first-time WNBA head coaches. DeMarco's NBA background opened the door, but his single season shows that cross-league experience alone does not guarantee time to learn the job. Future candidates from the NBA will know that the Liberty gave their predecessor one year, historic upset included, before making a change.

What Happens Next

Kolb will now run his fourth coaching search since 2019, and the Liberty are expected to move quickly to give a new coach a full offseason with the roster. The search will show whether New York looks inside the WNBA or gambles again elsewhere. For more on the wider sporting picture, see our report on the Lions' injury update on Jack Campbell and the college basketball upset as No. 22 UCLA stunned No. 5 Arizona.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the New York Liberty fire Chris DeMarco?

The Liberty announced the firing on November 3, 2026, after one season. The team has not publicly detailed its reasons, with the slow start and semifinal sweep by Atlanta the backdrop.

What was Chris DeMarco's record with the Liberty?

DeMarco finished the regular season 26-18, took the No. 8 seed, swept the No. 1-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round, and was then swept by the No. 4-seeded Atlanta Dream in the semifinals.

Who will coach the New York Liberty next?

No successor has been named. General manager Jonathan Kolb will run the search, his fourth since 2019, and the franchise will look for its third head coach in three seasons.

Was Chris DeMarco under contract for 2027?

Yes. DeMarco remained under contract for 2027, and he had said after the semifinal sweep that he expected to return. The Liberty decided to make a change anyway.

How many WNBA coaches have been fired this offseason?

DeMarco is the second, after the Los Angeles Sparks fired Lynne Roberts in September. The Liberty previously fired Sandy Brondello in September 2025, following the 2024 championship season.