“What a strange day for him, you know, to come to his new arena, go to his new office, come back to our locker room, help us play a game, try to win a game, and then that’s it. He’s staying here, and it’s
almost surreal. So, he’s been a great coach, great friend. I’m going to miss him.”
Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr had to say goodbye to long-time assistant Chris DeMarco on Monday night. The Warriors were not just visiting the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center, but dropping DeMarco, the incoming head coach of the New York Liberty, off at his new crib.
Monday marked the end of DeMarco’s 13-year run with the Dubs, which included four NBA championships. He even predates Kerr as a member of the organization: “Bob Myers called me and said, ‘There’s one guy from the previous staff I think you should talk to and interview.’ And as I was putting my staff together, I sat down with Chris and instantly connected and knew that I wanted him to be part of it.”
Over Golden State’s ensuing dynasty, DeMarco did it all, from advance scouting to player development to offensive and defensive game-planning.
Yes, the 40-year-old seen more star-power in one locker room than most coaches will see in a lifetime. And he exudes a chill confidence; the Liberty’s championship expectations aren’t going to have him acting like JJ Redick…
But that’s not why Kerr believes DeMarco will thrive in New York: “He watches everything. You know, he was constantly keeping his finger on the pulse of the game, wherever. FIBA, European basketball, he studies the trends, he loves the game. And he’s also just a great dude, like, he’s really fun to be around and to collaborate with. He’s smart, but he doesn’t have to be the smartest guy in the room. And he’s seen an awful lot here, you know, in these last 14 years.”
Ultimately, Kerr and his Warriors had two things to say about DeMarco: The guy loves ball, and they love him.
“For a guy like that that’s earned everything he’s gotten in this league with his hard work — there’s a reason he’s still a part of the staff from the Mark Jackson era to now, the Bahamian national team experience, and even the process of seeing him go after the Liberty job,” said Steph Curry. “I talked to the GM [Jonathan Kolb] here on his behalf, and just understanding who he is as a coach and everything that’s he contributed and learned along the way will hopefully be a smooth transition to that locker room. I’m excited for him. I know he’s ready. He’s chomping at the bit to get there.”
Steph Curry is one hell of a reference, but so is Buddy Hield, who has not just worked with DeMarco in Golden State but with the Bahamas men’s national basketball team.
“You just know when you’re around winners and people with a winning mentality,” said Hield in this Dalton Johnson story. “You just know how to believe in them. When [DeMarco] is around that whole environment, you just know that something good comes out of that from everything that he’s learned. I was just happy to learn from him. I was ecstatic to learn from him.”
After the Warriors defeated the Nets on Monday, DeMarco bid farewell with a short interview on NBC Sports Bay Area…
…and referenced his time with the Bahamas.
“I’ve seen a lot, and one of the things I wanted to do — this being my 14th season with the Warriors — is get head coaching experience. And at the international level, it’s a different game. We don’t have live-ball timeouts, the games are shorter, they’re only 40 minutes, you really have to learn teams on the fly … You just become a better coach.”
Then, finally, DeMarco turned toward the future: “I’ve talked to all of our players here at the Liberty, just getting acquainted with everything. I love Barclays, I love what they’re building, we got the Brooklyn Basketball Training Facility across the street. It’s a beautiful thing to see in a very, very growing league, and I’m just excited to get started.“
Now, he can. The WNBA is attempting to avoid a work stoppage in 2026. Nearly the entire the league is set to enter free agency. The New York Liberty don’t know what their path back to another championship is going to look like, from the schedule to who exactly is on the roster. But they have their head coach.
And if Chris DeMarco finds half as much success in New York as he did with the Golden State Warriors, it’ll be a slam-dunk hire.
