The Toronto Raptors could be staring at a tough loss on the coaching staff, and Jama Mahlalela might be the one walking out the door.
ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported on November 3 that Chris DeMarco will not return as the New York Liberty’s head coach for the 2027 season. That opens the door for the Liberty to revisit the group of finalists from last year’s search, and Mahlalela could be right back in the mix for the first major head coaching job of his career.
That would be a huge step for a coach who has spent years building his reputation behind the scenes. Mahlalela got his start as an assistant at the University of Toronto in 2004, then went on to multiple assistant coaching stints with the Raptors and the Golden State Warriors. His only previous head coaching experience came in the G League, where he led the Raptors 905 during the 2018-19 season.
For Toronto, losing him would sting. For Mahlalela, though, the Liberty job would be the kind of opening that doesn’t come around often.
New York is not a soft landing spot. The Liberty won the championship in 2024, then moved on from Sandy Brondello a year later anyway.
Brondello is now in Toronto as the head coach of the Tempo, and the job she left behind comes with immediate pressure. Whoever takes over inherits a roster that still includes Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Satou Sabally.
There’s at least a chance the Liberty could try to move Sabally, but Stewart alone keeps the expectations sky-high. She is already a three-time champion and a two-time MVP, and with her on the roster, every season feels like championship or bust whether the team says it out loud or not.
Mahlalela was a finalist for the Liberty’s head coaching vacancy last year alongside Kristi Toliver, Will Weaver, and DeMarco. DeMarco ultimately got the job, but it did not go smoothly.
He drew criticism right away after saying in his introductory press conference that he would now have to learn about the WNBA and the Liberty. The season only got rougher from there, capped by a playoff collapse that included a costly coaching mistake in Game 2 of the semifinals and ended with an Atlanta Dream sweep in Game 3.
None of Stewart, Ionescu, or Jones backed DeMarco when asked about his future after the season, a sharp contrast to the support Stewart gave Brondello after the 2025 season.
If the Liberty are willing to circle back to last year’s finalists, Mahlalela has a real shot at the opportunity that has eluded him so far. For a 46-year-old coach with his background, it would be a major vote of confidence - and a rare chance to take over one of the league’s most demanding jobs.
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