Ahead of the 2026 WNBA season, New York Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb preached patience after the franchise hired a first-time WNBA head coach in Chris DeMarco. However, patience is a hard bargain when you have a roster as stacked as the Liberty’s, including Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Leonie Fiebich, and two-time MVP Breanna Stewart, all of whom won the championship just two seasons ago. Sure enough, after finishing the regular season with a 26-18 record and later being swept by the Atlanta Dream in the playoffs, the Liberty front office wants more.

“Breaking: Chris DeMarco will not be retained as head coach of the New York Liberty, sources told ESPN. In his sole year at the helm, New York went 26-18 and was the No. 8 seed in the playoffs before getting swept by the Atlanta Dream in the semifinals. The Liberty will now seek their third head coach in three years,” ESPN’s Alexa Philippou posted on X.

It is clear that the Liberty are not settling for anything other than a championship. The 41-year-old, who spent over a decade with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach and player development staff member, was hired for just that, but the Liberty fell way short of that assignment.

They entered the playoffs as the eighth seed but made history by becoming the first team to sweep top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the opening round. However, their Cinderella run was short-lived, as Angel Reese’s Dream brought their momentum to an abrupt halt, sweeping them in the semifinals.

DeMarco’s departure adds to a growing list of coaching changes across the WNBA. The Los Angeles Sparks moved on from Lynne Roberts in September after missing the playoffs for a second straight season, ending her two-year stint with a 37-51 record.

Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko has also been mentioned among the recent exits following the team’s run to the 2026 WNBA Finals. DeMarco now joins that list after just one season in New York, despite leading the Liberty to a first-round upset of the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.

Following the semifinals exit, DeMarco said he expected to return for his second season as Liberty head coach. However, the players did not provide the most resounding replies when asked about DeMarco, including the Liberty’s Big 3.

“Those decisions aren’t ours… I think my focus and what I’m thinking about right now is just: missed opportunity.” Stewart said. “I don’t think we were consistent… This is not cramming for a test. You gotta be ready to go and ready to go from the jump.”

Stewart also criticized the team’s overall performance after the semifinals exit.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Regardless, thankful for him coaching us this year and giving us a chance, and we just fell short.” Ionescu added.

Meanwhile, Jonquel Jones spoke about it matter-of-factly.

“I mean, you know, that’s not our say. Our job is to go out there and play good basketball, and represent the organization well, represent the fan base well, and our families. I think we do a good job of focusing on that. And you know, it is what it is,” Jones responded when asked whether she hopes for DeMarco to return next season.

With the players essentially giving DeMarco a vote of no confidence, it is safe to say Kolb got the hiring wrong, after he previously said he needed to “nail” the successor to Sandy Brondello. The Australian coach remains the best the Liberty had, driving the franchise to its first WNBA championship, with two 32-8 regular-season records. However, even Brondello couldn’t escape the same fate as DeMarco following a first-round exit to eventual runner-ups Phoenix Mercury last year after finishing fifth seed with a 27-17 record.

With the Liberty’s championship-winning core only getting older, the franchise will now seek a third head coach in three years, as Philippou stated, and a fourth under general manager Kolb’s tenure following the exits of DeMarco and Brondello.