Toronto Raptors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela had a great opportunity last year. He was one of the finalists for the head coaching position with the New York Liberty in the WNBA alongside Kristi Toliver, Will Weaver, and Chris DeMarco.
DeMarco, a former Golden State Warriors assistant coach, ultimately got the job. It was a rocky first year. He immediately made negative headlines when he admitted in his introductory press conference that he would now have to learn about the WNBA and the Liberty—just imagine if a woman publicly admitted to being utterly unprepared after accepting an NBA job.
DeMarco then crashed and burned in the playoffs with an inexcusable coaching blunder in Game 2 of the semifinals, which ended with an Atlanta Dream sweep in Game 3. None of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, or Jonquel Jones chose to support his case to remain the Liberty’s head coach when asked about it—something Stewart did very readily when she was asked the same about Sandy Brondello after the 2025 season.
Unsurprisingly, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported on November 3 that DeMarco won’t be back as the Liberty’s head coach for the 2027 season. If the Liberty are open to revisiting their finalists from last year’s search, Mahlalela will get another shot at his first major head coaching opportunity.
The Liberty job would be an amazing opportunity for Jama Mahlalela
Mahlalela has been a coach for many years. He started out as an assistant coach at the University of Toronto in 2004. Since then, he has spent several seasons as an assistant coach for the Raptors (over three different stints) and the Golden State Warriors.
His only head coaching job so far was in the NBA G League. He led the Raptors 905 in the 2018-19 season.
While it would be a notable loss for Darko Rajakovic and the Raptors, getting a head coaching position with the star-studded and storied New York Liberty would be a big break for the 46-year-old—a big break that would come with immense pressure. The Liberty won a championship in 2024 but let Sandy Brondello, who is now in Toronto as the head coach of the Tempo, go just a year later anyway. Brondello left big shoes to fill.
Moreover, the Liberty still have all of Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Satou Sabally under contract. While there is a chance that they will try to trade at least Sabally, Stewarts presence means every year is a championship-or-bust season for the Liberty, whether they want to admit it or not. Stewart is already a three-time champion and a two-time MVP, but she is still one of the best players in the world, and losing is just not acceptable when she’s on your roster.
It’s a very rare opportunity for a first-time head coach, and landing this job would be a great sign of respect for Mahlalela’s coaching talent.
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