Who is New York Liberty's new Head Coach? NBA Coaching Veteran Replacing Sandy Brondello on $450M Franchise Explored

The New York Liberty are making a big change for the next WNBA season. They are replacing Sandy Brondello with Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco. While the Dubs are losing an essential piece of their coaching staff, New York is gaining a head coach with great potential.

The Liberty are coming off a first-round exit in the playoffs. They had won the WNBA championship in 2024 and finished the 2025 season with a 27-17 record. However, injuries to key players affected the team's performance in the postseason.

ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news to the community on Friday through an X post.

"The New York Liberty have agreed on a deal to hire Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their new head coach, sources tell ESPN. DeMarco has been with the Warriors since 2012, winning four NBA titles. He also serves as head coach of the Bahamian men's national team," he tweeted.

According to Warriors Wire, key players like Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Natasha Cloud are hitting free agency next season. So, DeMarcu could have an opportunity to work with newer faces in his rookie year.

However, it should not be a problem for the Warriors assistant coach, as he has extensive experience working with elite talent. According to Alexa Philippou of ESPN, DeMarco has closely worked with Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson during their time with the Dubs.

According to Sportico, the New York Liberty sold a limited stake in the franchise at a valuation of $450 million in May.

Sandy Brondello gets real on her exit from the New York Liberty

The New York Liberty entered the 2025 season as the defending champions, so when they faced a first-round exit in the playoffs, someone had to take the fall. On Sept. 23, the franchise fired Sandy Brondello.

On Oct. 31, the former Liberty coach spoke on her exit from the franchise on Sue Bird's "Bird's Eye View" podcast. (Timestamp: 1:02:50):

"I just felt that it probably wasn’t the right fit anymore, to be quite honest," she said. "Obviously, it was a leadership decision there. And I work best when I’m in a partnership."

Brondello will be forever remebered by the Liberty fans as the coach who led the franchise to their first WNBA championship in 2024. However, the former Liberty coach has moved on from the past and is now up for a new challenge. She has agreed to become the first coach of the new expansion team, Toronto Tempo.

Edited by Avi Shravan