Appearing on the Post Moves podcast with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston on Wednesday, South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley confirmed she had a formal interview earlier this offseason for the Knicks‘ head coaching job.
“I interviewed for the Knicks,” Staley said (Twitter video link; hat tip to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic). “It was the same interview that everybody else that was in their candidate pool (got). Same thing. … I thought I did pretty well. I was well prepared.”
The Knicks, who also spoke to former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, and Pelicans assistant James Borrego about their coaching vacancy after being denied permission to speak to several NBA head coaches already under contract, ultimately hired Mike Brown. But if the team had decided they wanted Staley, she would’ve taken the job, she told Parker and Boston.
“If the Knicks would’ve offered me the job, I would’ve had to do it,” Staley said. “Not just for me, it’s for women. … To break open that. And it’s the New York Knicks, and I’m from Philly, but it’s the freakin’ New York Knicks.”
Staley went on to say that she felt as if she may have hurt her chances by asking too many pointed questions during her interview.
“(One of my questions was) if you hired me as the first female (head) coach in the NBA, how would it impact your daily job?” she said. “Because it would. It would. Because you’re going to be asked questions that you don’t have to be asked if you hire a male coach. There’s going to be the media, there’s going to be all this stuff that you’ll have to deal with that you didn’t have to deal with and don’t have to deal with when you hire a male.
“That got them to thinking. That really got them to thinking about ‘maybe she’s right.’ I felt the energy change after that. So I shot myself in the foot by being…inquisitive, asking all those darn questions.”
Staley, a six-time WNBA All-Star as a player, was the women’s basketball head coach at Temple from 2000-08 and has coached South Carolina since ’08, leading the Gamecocks to three national titles during that time. She was named the Naismith Coach of the Year four times in five seasons from 2020-24.
League sources tell The Athletic that Staley impressed Knicks staffers during her interview but wasn’t considered a finalist for the team’s head coaching opening.
“Would I take any NBA job? No,” Staley added. “I will say this: The NBA has to be ready for a female head coach. You can’t just interview somebody and say, ‘We’re going to hire her.’ I probably lost the job by asking this question.”
The sky is blue
Not qualified at all.
Lol look at her basketball resume again and delete your comment
I thought this was an Onion piece.. really. I mean, come on, what are we doing here…
Generating clickeroos
No NBA team wants to be to the first team to hire a female coach – because no NBA team wants to be the first team to FIRE a female coach.
The hornets can do it cause it will get them publicity. Why would they have to fire her? How would they know if they are losing more or less games with her than any other coach?
Not a bad idea maybe the kings do it after they blow it up
The Pacers already have a female coach.
She was never getting that job. Let’s move on.
Not many people on earth would turn down the job. Next.
Lmao that would be such a Knicks move. Only for a player or assistant coach to get excused of sexual harassment 3 months in.
Let’s just say the odds of a fit trim millionaire nba player trying to go after dawn staley when the options out there are quite better is 0%.
lol, she thinks that she didn’t get the job cause she asked pointed questions. She doesn’t realize that they never intended to give her the job. They offered her an interview.
If there is a first female HC in the NBA it will be for a team like the Hornets. It will be a novelty and get them attention, and they have nothing to lose. The first one is not going to be the Knicks, Lakers or Boston.
You take outsize chances, like new companies, when you are not already established with a lot to kose. Once you’re established shd have more to lose you are less apt to lay your neck out and be the first on something like this.
Your comments are so mean, yet so true.
Its always NY ……. who cares.
Why would the Knicks after having their best year in 25 yrs. Go out and hire tge first female coach.
Why ????
What a weak excuse for someone that never truly wanted the Knicks job.