Alexa PhilippouOct 10, 2026, 02:57 AM ETMultiple AuthorsOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK — After the New York Liberty were swept in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs, losing 85-83 to the Atlanta Dream on Friday, first-year head coach Chris DeMarco said without hesitation he expects to return next season.But when New York’s three stars — Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones — were asked whether it was their hope and expectation that DeMarco would be back, none offered a definitive vote of confidence in the coach.Stewart said she “1,000%” believes the team had the personnel to win a championship this year, but added, “What I’m thinking about right now is just the missed opportunity.””Of course, we want to win a championship every single time we step on the court, but it’s really hard in this league, and in order to do that, you need to be consistent for the full 44 games,” Stewart said when asked about DeMarco. “And I don’t think we were consistent throughout the season. I think that we started to show some life and peak a little bit in towards the end and in the playoffs. But this is not like cramming for a test.
You got to be ready and ready to go since the jump.”Ionescu said DeMarco’s future was “not our decision,” a sentiment that Stewart and Jones echoed.”We’re thankful for everything that he’s done this year,” Ionescu said. “Just focusing on the now, the way he’s poured into us and stayed positive, level-headed through the ups and downs of this season as well that didn’t go the way that he wanted, either.”I mean, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Regardless, thankful for him coaching us this year and obviously giving us a chance. And we just fell short.”Added Jones: “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. And I think we do a good job of focusing on that. And it is what it is.”After consecutive Finals appearances in this “superteam” iteration of the Liberty — starting in 2023 when Stewart and Jones arrived — New York fell short of that mark for the second consecutive year.Stewart, Jones and Ionescu are all under contract for two more years, which likely represents, at minimum, the Liberty’s current championship window.”We went to the Finals two years in a row and haven’t gone since. But it’s really hard to get to the Finals,” said Stewart, a three-time WNBA champion.
“This s— isn’t easy, and when you get there and when you win, you can’t take it for granted. … You don’t know if you’ll be able to get back, and I feel like for us, we’re not taking that for granted.”Added Ionescu: “It’s not just go [to the Finals] — it’s win.”After more than a decade as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, DeMarco was hired in December to replace Sandy Brondello, who was let go after four seasons at the helm and one year removed from leading the franchise to its first championship.But in 2026, New York had an up-and-down campaign, starting 13-12 and ultimately earning the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. Personnel availability worked against them at times, as Ionescu and guard Leonie Fiebich missed significant time, and Satou Sabally was limited to just 13 appearances before being ruled out for the season. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton also fell out of the rotation and then was waived four days after the trade deadline.Players credited each other for sticking together through so many difficulties, and even Friday, DeMarco lauded his players for fighting “like hell” against Atlanta.
But though the Liberty swept the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx in the first round, they looked far from a contender in the semifinals.The Liberty’s season-long flaws were exposed by the defensive-minded, athletic and ultra-connected Dream, who comfortably took care of New York despite playing without top scorer Allisha Gray for all but 11 minutes in the series.”It just took a while to find our identity, what we were going to do defensively, and how we were going to play with teams,” Stewart said. “When people say defense wins championships, it’s f—ing true.”Added Fiebich: “We won in ’24 because we brought the toughness and we had the talent and we had the team chemistry. I think we’ve got to continue to find ways to get that back.”DeMarco’s inexperience was also on display as the postseason progressed, especially during the controversial end to Game 2, when he failed to use the Liberty’s final reset timeout at the end of overtime or attempt to stop the game to clarify whether they had one.DeMarco said he intends to take some time to assess the season.”Not just myself — staff, players, everything,” he said. “The great part about what I do is that you’re constantly learning, and there’s new things you learn every single day, every season.””I think they’re great people,” Fiebich said of the staff.
“I think it was their first time in the WNBA. Maybe you could feel it here and there in some situations, but I think the most important thing was that we were out there as a group. It was a collaborative thing, and that was most important.”Stewart’s play was a silver lining to the Liberty’s frustrating 2026. The 32-year-old enjoyed a healthy year, playing 42 of 44 regular-season games and reminding the basketball world why she’s considered one of the game’s all-time greatest players.
But that might make Friday’s result feel even worse.”Especially after being injured last season, I don’t take for granted a healthy season, and that’s what really pisses me off,” Stewart said. “I couldn’t really fulfill my full opportunity to make something spicy happen.”As the Liberty departed in disbelief and the Dream celebrated on the Barclays floor, Stewart — experiencing her first WNBA playoffs sweep — walked into the tunnel with a towel around her head in a rare display of emotion, which she said came from thinking about the fans.Liberty fans waited 29 years for the team to win its first championship. They’ll now have to wait another year for the team to try to win its second.”I know how much [the fans] have our back, and they really ride for us,” Stewart said. “I wanted for us to continue to have a shot and extend this season and play for our fans. …
They deserve more, too.”
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