New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Nearly three months after not renewing Bill Laimbeer's contact as head coach and general manager, the New York Liberty have re-hired Laimbeer as the team's coach.
In two seasons under Laimbeer, the Liberty posted a 26-42 record (.382). This past season, New York went 15-19 and lost a tiebreaker to Chicago for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
"I am proud to be leading the New York Liberty behind the bench, and believe that great things are ahead of us," said Laimbeer. "I came to New York talking about building a championship culture -- and remain committed to that goal as head coach. I am thrilled to get started on the upcoming season."
He will not regain the GM title though, with the Liberty's senior vice president of business operations Kristin Bernert reportedly taking over that role.
"Our goal is to ensure that the Liberty return to their position as one of the most consistently competitive and successful teams in the WNBA," said Bernert. "We spent a great deal of time on how to move forward to ensure both immediate and long term success, and kept coming back to Bill. He's had tremendous success in the WNBA, and we are confident that he is the right coach to help deliver a winning franchise for our fans."
From 2002-09, Laimbeer served as general manager and head coach of the Detroit Shock -- the franchise is now based in Tulsa -- and captured WNBA titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008. The Shock posted a 137-93 record during his tenure.
A 14-year NBA veteran, Laimbeer was a member of the Detroit Pistons teams that won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.
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