The New York Knicks’ search for a successor to former head coach Tom Thibodeau was a lengthy one.
Mike Brown — who had most recently served as the Sacramento Kings’ head coach from 2022-24 — ultimately won the job, but the likes of former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant coach Micah Nori and New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego reportedly had interviews with the Knicks organization, as well.
So did Dawn Staley, the current head coach of the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball program and a well-respected figure in the sport who recently recounted her experience with the Knicks’ hiring process.
If given a contract offer, Staley would have left the Gamecocks for the Knicks
Staley made an appearance on an episode of the “Post Moves with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston” podcast released on Wednesday. Parker asked Staley if she would ever consider taking a head coaching job in the NBA, which led to the latter describing her interview with the Knicks.
Staley thought the interview “went well” and that she was “well-prepared” for it, but a contract offer never materialized. But had the opposite been true, Staley admitted that she would have accepted it.
“If the Knicks would have offered me the job, I would have had to do it. Not just for me, it’s for women, just to break open that [barrier]. I would have to,” Staley said. “It’s the New York Knicks. And I’m from Philly, but it’s the freaking New York Knicks. And I did say that the interview.”
She joked later in the episode that she “shot [her]self in the foot” by asking the Knicks’ top brass two questions — specifically, about why she was in the candidate pool and how hiring her might potentially affect their day-to-day-duties — that may have cost her the job. But she also expressed her firm belief that, if she doesn’t do it herself, some other female coach will one day lead an NBA team.
“I will say this: the NBA has to be ready for a female head coach,” Staley said. “You can’t just interview somebody and say we’re going to hire her.”
Staley has become one of the most successful coaches, male or female, in the collegiate ranks over the past two-plus decades. A six-time WNBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist during her playing days, she has since put together a 647-190 overall record with Temple and South Carolina while helping the Gamecocks to seven Final Fours and three national titles.
But for the time being, Staley will continue gracing the courtside seats at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, where she aims to continue elevating the South Carolina women’s basketball program to new heights.
