Sandy Brondello Thrives In Toronto While Liberty Fire Chris DeMarco After Just One Season

Sandy Brondello led the New York Liberty to their first-ever championship in 2024 before leaving for the Toronto Tempo, where her team is currently thriving.

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, the franchise that let her walk out the door has suddenly plunged back into complete coaching turmoil.

On Tuesday, November 3, the New York Liberty officially fired head coach Chris DeMarco after just a single season at the helm.

The swift dismissal brings an abrupt end to DeMarco's brief tenure following an injury-plagued and deeply turbulent campaign.

With DeMarco gone, general manager Jonathan Kolb must now find another leader to guide the franchise's next championship push.

That search marks an uncomfortable reality for a front office that held the trophy only two years ago.

New York will now search for its third head coach in three seasons after previously choosing not to retain Brondello.

A SUDDEN FALL FROM THE SUMMIT

Moving on from Chris DeMarco after just one year shows how quickly things unraveled after Sandy Brondello walked out the door.

As observers noted across the basketball world, "Brondello brought New York its first ring in 2024 and had this squad humming as a legit powerhouse."

Under Brondello's steady leadership, the Liberty reached the pinnacle of the sport and secured the franchise's historic first title.

Yet the organization opted for change following that breakthrough, allowing Brondello to take charge of the expansion Toronto Tempo.

In her absence, the Liberty turned to DeMarco in December 2025, hoping his championship pedigree would carry over from the men's game.

DeMarco arrived in New York after spending fourteen seasons as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.

During his long tenure in the Bay Area, DeMarco helped Golden State capture four NBA championships.

However, he entered the Liberty organization without any previous experience coaching in the WNBA.

That lack of familiarity immediately raised eyebrows among analysts and longtime followers of the women's game.

DeMarco never came close to matching the high standard established during Brondello's championship run in Brooklyn.

Instead, the team endured an erratic campaign that never fully established consistent rhythm or identity.

STRUGGLES ON THE FLOOR AND IN THE STANDINGS

New York spent much of the 2026 season dealing with persistent disruption, fluctuating rotations, and chemistry issues.

The Liberty finished the regular season with a 26-18 record, limping into the playoffs as an eight-seed.

Falling to eighth in the overall league standings represented a massive drop-off for a team built to contend for titles.

Injuries played a major role in destabilizing DeMarco’s lone season on the sideline.

Forward Satou Sabally suffered a concussion that severely derailed her campaign, limiting her to just thirteen appearances during 2026.

Star guard Sabrina Ionescu also missed several games due to injury problems.

Those constant absences forced DeMarco to juggle changing lineups, making it exceedingly difficult to establish reliable combinations.

Despite entering the postseason in the eighth spot, New York managed to deliver one brief, thrilling spark for its fan base.

The Liberty stunned the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the opening round of the playoffs.

By knocking off Minnesota, New York became the first eighth seed in WNBA history to eliminate a number one seed.

That historic series victory instantly raised postseason expectations and suggested the team might overcome its regular-season flaws.

THE SEMIFINAL COLLAPSE AND SIDELINE CONFUSION

Any momentum generated from the historic upset over Minnesota vanished almost immediately in the next round.

The Atlanta Dream swept New York in three straight games during the semifinals to end the Liberty's season.

Getting swept by Atlanta brought everyone back to reality and exposed the structural problems that had troubled the roster all year.

The sweep also placed DeMarco's late-game decision-making under intense public scrutiny.

One particularly costly moment arrived during Game Two of the semifinal series against Atlanta.

During overtime, the Liberty bench failed to recognize that the team still had a reset timeout available to use.

That sideline confusion proved critical in the closing seconds of the extra session.

Instead of calling the timeout to draw up an organized set, Breanna Stewart attempted a difficult shot under pressure.

Moments like that magnified growing concerns about whether the coaching staff had a firm handle on high-leverage situations.

SILENCE FROM THE SUPERSTARS

When the season concluded, the reaction from the Liberty's cornerstone players spoke volumes about the state of the locker room.

Following their elimination at the hands of Atlanta earlier this month, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones avoided giving firm public support for DeMarco.

None of the three franchise stars used exit interviews to campaign for their coach's return.

Stewart described the 2026 season as inconsistent when addressing the team's overall performance.

The former MVP stressed that genuine championship contenders must maintain strong performances throughout the entire regular campaign season.

Her assessment underscored the disappointment within a roster that expected to compete at the very top of the league.

With player support absent and on-court execution faltering, the front office moved swiftly to terminate DeMarco's contract.

OUTRAGE AND ALLEGATIONS OF MISOGYNY

DeMarco's rapid hiring and subsequent firing ignited fierce debate across the sports landscape.

Commentator Jemele Hill and other observers sharply condemned the organization, pointing to a double standard.

Critics argued that DeMarco's initial appointment reflected deep-seated gender bias within professional basketball hiring practices.

On the Flagrant & Funny podcast, Jemele Hill and co-host Cari Champion both criticized how the Liberty handled the situation.

Hill pointed out that an NBA assistant with zero women's basketball experience would never be hired in reverse.

"I hate to say it, but that’s kind of the inherent gender bias of this," Hill said on the podcast.

"On the reverse, if there was you know, a woman that desired to coach in the NBA or was an assistant, she could never loudly say, 'Hey, you know what? Thank you for putting me Well, one, she’d never be put in charge of an NBA team without any previous, I think, NBA coaching experience.'"

Hill emphasized that such a pathway simply does not exist for female coaches in the men's game.

"Like, that would not happen," Hill added.

"So even if it’s the WNBA, there’s still some inherent s***** and misogyny in the league that they have to confront."

Cari Champion echoed those sentiments, turning the spotlight directly onto Brondello’s departure and DeMarco’s preparation.

"I don’t know why they got rid of Sandy," Champion said.

"I think all of your questions are valid as to why she’s now the head coach in Toronto for the Toronto Tempo, and they are doing well."

Champion was particularly troubled by DeMarco's past admission that he had not closely followed the league before being hired.

"But the argument that someone from the NBA can come over to the WNBA, figure it out, and get a certain amount of grace period bothers me," Champion stated.

"And that is because Chris DeMarco, the former head coach of the New York Liberty, admitted he hadn’t really followed the WNBA before he got this gig."