Credit: Monica Schipper/David Berding via Getty Images Luke Randall · HITC Thu, November 5, 2026 at 12:17 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chris DeMarco's exit from the New York Liberty has caused some controversy.
Moving on from Chris DeMarco after just one year shows how quickly things unraveled after Sandy Brondello walked out the door. Brondello brought New York its first ring in 2024 and had this squad humming as a legit powerhouse.
DeMarco never came close to matching that standard. Limping into the playoffs at 26-18 as an eight-seed, they gave fans a brief spark by upsetting Minnesota, but getting swept by Atlanta in the semifinals brought everyone back to reality.
Jemele Hill didn't stop at calling out Chris DeMarco's lack of homework. To her, handing an NBA assistant the keys with zero WNBA experience proves a blatant double standard, pointing out that a woman with that resume wouldn't even get an interview in the men's game.
On the Flagrant & Funny podcast , Jemele Hill and Cari Champion both agreed.
Jemele Hill: "I hate to say it, but that's kind of the inherent gender bias of this. 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." Like, that would not happen. 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: "I don't know why they got rid of Sandy. 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. 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.
"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. I would have been embarrassed. I would not have had the audacity to admit that. I would have been embarrassed to say that."
Women have definitely broken ground in the NBA, just never at the absolute top. Becky Hammon came closest running San Antonio's bench as an assistant, while others like Teresa Resch worked high up in front offices, alongside female refs and trainers.
But a woman landing an actual permanent head-coaching gig is yet to happen.
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Source: Sports
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