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Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco is leaving to become head coach of the New York Liberty, according to an ESPN report.
DeMarco, 40, started with the Warriors as an assistant video coordinator in 2012 under former head coach Mark Jackson. He has been with the organization ever since, winning four championships alongside Steve Kerr while climbing the coaching-staff hierarchy. This is the first season in which he has sat at the front of the bench, a coveted seat that signals a more empowered voice.
DeMarco had been building himself up for an opportunity like the one with the Liberty, which enables him to lead one of the top teams in the WNBA.
“For the most part, if you get into this thing, you get into the video room, you get into player development and become an assistant coach. If you don’t want to be a head coach or you’re afraid of being a head coach, it’s probably not the career you should be in,” DeMarco told The Standard on Nov. 3.
The Liberty declined to renew the contract of head coach Sandy Brondello despite a 27-17 campaign. Brondello was on the sideline in 2024, when New York won the WNBA title.
Other reported finalists for the Liberty gig were Hornets coaching consultant Will Weaver, Mercury assistant Kristi Tolliver, and former Warriors assistant Jama Mahlalela.
Last summer, DeMarco coached the Bahamian national team and nearly led it to an Olympic bid; the squad lost a nail-biter to Spain with a ticket to the Paris Games on the line.
Right before the Warriors’ 2025-26 season, DeMarco’s alma mater, Dominican University at California, inducted him into its Hall of Fame.
It seemed clear that DeMarco was stacking items on his résumé with his future in mind. So The Standard sat down with him in early November to ask where his career was heading as he’d just celebrated the Hall of Fame induction.
Outside the Warriors’ locker room, he joked about how proud he’s been to stay away from the media through the years. He was hesitant to have a story focused on him, preferring to stay in the background. But he didn’t hide his personal aspirations.
“When you coach at this level, I mean, I guess any level, you want the pressure and responsibility of what that means,” DeMarco said. “Whether that’s on the front of the bench, whether you become a head coach — at any level.
“You want to continue to grow and develop, and when you get the opportunity to see the game from a different way, it’s always the goal to put yourself in position to get … closer to that goal of being a head coach.”
DeMarco transferred to Dominican from Division III Edgewood College in his native Wisconsin. He wanted a fresh start as well as a place to get his MBA — which he did in 2011. Transferring was difficult, as he didn’t have family or friends in the Bay Area. But he became part of the community and hasn’t left Marin County in the 15 years since.
“It’s my home now,” DeMarco said.
Now he’ll find a new one in Brooklyn, where the Liberty have made five consecutive playoff appearances.
With his new job, DeMarco joins a long line of former Warriors assistants who have found promotions elsewhere: Willie Green, Mike Brown, Michael Malone, Alvin Gentry, Luke Walton. Learning from Kerr and growing with one of the most successful franchises of this century pays dividends.
DeMarco joined the Warriors in Draymond Green’s rookie year and has developed alongside some of the best players in franchise history. When his Dominican University induction ceremony was coming up, he was conflicted about whether to invite the team. Golden State was in the middle of a grueling early-season schedule, and the ceremony was the morning after the second night of a back-to-back in Portland.
DeMarco mentioned it to a handful of people. But Green was there, sitting in the stands as DeMarco addressed the crowd. Assistant coach Ron Adams and former center Zaza Pachulia also attended to support DeMarco in San Rafael.
Losing DeMarco shakes up the Warriors’ coaching staff midseason. He’d taken Kris Weems’ spot at the front of the bench, so a natural move would be for Weems — who still runs rotation patterns — to return to his post.
This season, Kerr essentially brought back his entire staff from last year. That’s rare continuity for a team that has experienced brain drain over the years. Jerry Stackhouse, a former All-Star player and Vanderbilt head coach, is now probably the most likely candidate on the staff to take interviews for vacancies.