Liberty Hiring Longtime Warriors Assistant As Head Coach

The New York Liberty have found their new head coach.

The 2024 WNBA champions have agreed to a deal with Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco, a league source confirmed to Front Office Sports. The timeline for DeMarco’s departure from the Warriors is still being discussed. 

The top job had sat open in Brooklyn for two months after the team fired Sandy Brondello in September. 

The Warriors declined to comment.

The Liberty squeaked out the 2024 title under Brondello and were off to a hot start in 2025 before injuries derailed their season. Most of their veteran stars, including Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones, are set to be free agents when the WNBA and its players reach a collective bargaining agreement. (Stewart has said she plans to return.)

New York GM Jonathan Kolb defended the firing in September, and the team focused its search on coaches with NBA experience. The Liberty’s candidate pool included Phoenix Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver, former Brooklyn Nets assistant Will Weaver, and Toronto Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela. Early Friday afternoon, the New York Post reported that Mahlalela had removed his name from consideration. 

DeMarco, 40, has been a Golden State assistant for more than a decade. Steve Kerr retained DeMarco on his staff after taking over from Mark Jackson, and DeMarco was present for all four Warriors titles under Kerr.

The Liberty were one of five WNBA franchises with head coach vacancies to fill this offseason. The Dallas Wings and Seattle Storm both made hires after firing their previous coaches, while the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire were looking for coaches to lead each franchise in its inaugural season. 

The Wings went with longtime college coach Jose Fernandez, while the Storm tapped former Liberty assistant Sonia Raman, who also interviewed for the head coach position in Brooklyn. 

Brondello ended up in Toronto on a contract that pays her more than $1 million per year. Though information about DeMarco’s salaries with the Warriors and Liberty was not immediately available, the highest-paid NBA assistants have received deals in the $2 million range.