New Coaching Hires for WNBA 2026 Season
After a lengthy search, the New York Liberty have reportedly appointed Chris DeMarco, previously an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, as their new head coach. This announcement means that all 15 teams in the WNBA have now secured their coaches for the 2026 season.
Following the 2025 season, there were five coaching vacancies in the league. The New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, and Dallas Wings all decided to move on from their head coaches. The other two openings were with two expansion teams, Toronto and Portland, both looking for their inaugural coaches.
Portland was quick to make a move, hiring Alex Salama, a former assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They then had a bit of a standstill until Sandy Brondello, a two-time WNBA champion who had recently left New York, took the reins. Brondello was in demand, with offers from Seattle, Dallas, and Toronto, but ultimately she opted for a new adventure with the league’s first international franchise, the Toronto Tempo.
Once Brondello accepted the position, Dallas swiftly announced their second pick, Jose Fernandez, who previously coached at the University of South Florida. With over 20 years of experience in women’s college basketball, Fernandez stepped away from her USF role to join Dallas. For Seattle, their second choice after Brondello was Sonia Raman, who had just come off the bench in New York. Raman served one season as an assistant under Brondello after previously working with the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA.
New York was the last team to finalize their coaching choice last week. According to reports, the finalists included Christy Tolliver from the Phoenix Mercury, advisor Will Weaver from the Charlotte Hornets, and Jama Mahlalela from the Toronto Raptors. However, the team decided against all those candidates, and ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news that DeMarco would be their new head coach.
Interestingly, statistics indicate a current imbalance: there are more men in head coaching positions within the WNBA than women. In the upcoming 2026 season, eight of the 15 head coaches will be men, while seven will be women. Notably, two of the three coaches dismissed after the 2025 season were women, and only two of the five new hires are female.
Here’s the list of head coaches for the 2026 WNBA season:
- New York Liberty: Chris DeMarco
- Toronto Tempo: Sandy Brondello
- Seattle Storm: Sonia Raman
- Dallas Wings: Jose Fernandez
- Portland Fire: Alex Salama
- Las Vegas Ace: Becky Hammon
- Indiana Fever: Steph White
- Phoenix Mercury: Nate Tibbetts
- Washington Mystics: Sidney Johnson
- Connecticut Sun: Rashid Mejian
- LA Sparks: Lynn Roberts
- Golden State Valkyries: Natalie Nakase
- Chicago Sky: Tyler Marsh
- Atlanta Dream: Karl Smesko
- Minnesota Lynx: Sheryl Reeve
Reflecting back to 2025, there were 13 head coaching roles in the WNBA, six of which were filled by men and seven by women. Fast forward to 2026, and the landscape has slightly shifted. While women held most coaching positions in 2024, by 2025, the numbers transitioned again toward a male majority.
With each season, it seems like a pattern emerges where men predominantly occupy head coaching roles. In fact, in 13 out of the WNBA’s 30 seasons, men were the majority in these positions. It’s also worth noting that in various seasons, there have been instances of an even split between genders.
The lowest representation of women in coaching happened back in 2006, where just three teams were led by female coaches. Conversely, the highest percentage of women in coaching was in 2023, with women in nine of the league’s 12 positions. A historical perspective reveals that in 2021, the coaching landscape tilted towards men.
This shifting trend raises intriguing questions. Has the NBA’s talent pool become too influential in shaping WNBA coaching hires? I mean, with the league’s growth, are salaries attracting more men from the NBA seeking a stepping stone before moving up the ladder? This is compounded by the reality that most assistant coaches in the NBA are men, limiting opportunities for women in these roles.
Conversely, many women who have assistant coaching backgrounds in the NBA have returned to the WNBA. Notably, figures like Becky Hammon and others have made this transition. Yet, the significant presence of male coaches raises critical discussions about representation, especially given that a majority of WNBA players are Black women. Oddly enough, it’s unclear if players feel this lack of representation is an issue worth voicing, as there hasn’t been much outcry among them regarding coaching hires.
As we approach the 2026 season, it will certainly be interesting to see how these coaching changes play out and whether they’ll have any lasting impact on the league’s future.
