When the New York Liberty won the 2024 WNBA championship, the expectation was that they would keep up that success, and the formula would keep working. Two years of disappointing playoff exits have changed that outlook, and their performance has raised uncomfortable questions about who should be expected to remain with the team, whether that be the coach or the GM, according to one WNBA journalist.
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“Nobody except Breanna Stewart should be comfortable heading into this off season,” NY Post journalist Madeline Kennedy said during an appearance on WNBA Today on the CLNS network.
“If you’re gonna go forward with another coaching search process, this would be their third coach in three years. If you want to be a championship contender, continuity matters, right? Is [general manager] Jonathan Kolb the right person to make that call? He’s handled the salary cap really well, and kudos to some of his roster-building. There were definitely flaws in this year’s roster, but injuries always tend to put a brighter spotlight on roster flaws.”
Kennedy, who covers the Liberty regularly, put the spotlight on Kolb and his hire, first-year head coach Chris DeMarco, the latter of whom has received a lot of flak from fans over their inconsistent performances all season.
After adding three-time All-Star forward Satou Sabally to the team in the 2025 offseason, New York went 11-4 to start the season, in contention for the best record in the league. Unfortunately, the team suffered a lot of injuries to their key players.
Sabally missed most of the season after dealing with her second concussion in less than a year; Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones each missed a month early in the season due to foot and ankle injuries. Even Breanna Stewart, the team’s best player, missed a game due to knee soreness, which she played through during the playoffs.
These setbacks caused the team to fall to 13-12 by midseason, earning DeMarco boos from fans before the team went on a 13-4 run late in the season to clinch the eighth seed. The team even beat the first-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round, becoming the first eight-seed to do so. However, they completely collapsed against the Atlanta Dream.
The Dream swept the Liberty in the semifinals. The most controversial moment came in Game 2, when the team had a chance to tie the game, but failed to call a reset timeout. The team called out the referees, who had supposedly told them they didn’t have any resets remaining, but the league came to a different conclusion during their investigation of the matter.
“It is clear on video and audio that Breanna Stewart asked Referee Kevin Fahy about the reset timeout,” the league’s statement said.
“At that moment, there were multiple overlapping conversations and non-verbal exchanges between the referees, game participants and also Stewart with Liberty bench personnel, which led to a misunderstanding amongst the various parties. Our referees can certainly handle these interactions better and have been given that feedback.”
Liberty Stars’ Silence on Chris DeMarco’s Future Marks a Shift From Their Defense of Sandy Brondello
After being swept, the big three of Jones, Stewart, and Ionescu were asked whether they expected him to be back, and none of them offered a conclusive answer. Ionescu noted that she was “thankful” for his coaching, while Jones simply told reporters that it was “not our say.” Stewart simply deflected by talking about how winning the championship remains their main goal.
It’s a big change from their reactions when they were eliminated last year, with them coming to then-head coach Sandy Brondello’s defense. When asked about her future with the team, Stewart was extremely frustrated.
“What the f—?” she replied.
“This is a resilient group, and she has our back, and we have hers. The way that she continued to deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible. It wasn’t easy for anybody, but she came in every day with a positive attitude and a mindset to put us in our best positions possible and best foot forward… We have [Brondello’s] back.”
DeMarco, for his part, seemed certain that he would be able to return next season to help the team. When he was asked by a reporter if he would be back during the exit interview, he simply replied, “Yes,” adding that every communication with the team had indicated as much.
Regardless, only time will tell if his confidence is repaid by the organization. There’s a long time to go for the team until the start of the 2027 season, and some tough decisions that will have to be made.