Dawn Staley has never been shy about the impact she wants to leave on basketball. The South Carolina women’s coach, who has built the Gamecocks into one of the most dominant programs in college basketball, revealed that she seriously considered the possibility of leaving Columbia if the New York Knicks had offered her their head coaching position.
The Hall of Famer, who has guided South Carolina to three national championships, said she would have felt a responsibility to take the job—not only for her own career, but for the history of the sport.
“I would have had to do it. Not just for me. For women. To break [that door] open,” Staley said on the Post Moves podcast with Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston and former WNBA great Candace Parker. “I would have had to. It’s the New York Knicks. I’m from Philly. But it’s the freaking New York Knicks.”
Her candid words underscore just how monumental the opportunity would have been, especially for a coach who has already become a symbol of progress and excellence in women’s basketball.
The Interview Process
The Knicks ultimately decided to hire Mike Brown last month, but Staley was among a diverse pool of candidates interviewed for the role. Alongside her, the franchise also considered former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego, former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori before settling on Brown.
Staley, for her part, felt that her interview with the Knicks went well. She believed she presented herself as capable and prepared, but she also admitted that she may have unintentionally complicated her candidacy by posing tough questions that no male coach would likely ask.
Raising Questions That Needed to Be Asked
“How, if you hired me as the first female [head] coach in the NBA, would it impact your daily job? Because it would,” Staley recalled asking Knicks officials. “You’re going to be asked questions that you don’t have to answer if you’re a male coach. There’s going to be the media and all this other stuff that you 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, ‘Maybe she’s right.’”
It was at that point, she said, that she sensed a shift in the atmosphere.
“So, I shot myself in the foot by being inquisitive and asking all those darn questions,” Staley said.
Her remarks highlight the complicated landscape women face when breaking into male-dominated spaces. By asking how the organization would handle the increased spotlight and the inevitable cultural conversation surrounding the league’s first female head coach, Staley may have forced the Knicks to confront challenges they were not prepared to face.
A Trailblazer Already
Even without the Knicks’ job, Staley’s legacy is secure. She has transformed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse, winning national titles in 2017, 2022, and 2024 while producing elite talent for the WNBA, including Aliyah Boston, who joined her for the podcast conversation.
As a player, Staley’s résumé is just as decorated: three Olympic gold medals, a WNBA career, and induction into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
But despite her achievements, the opportunity to lead an NBA team represents an entirely different challenge. It would not just be about wins and losses—it would be about shattering one of the most persistent glass ceilings in professional sports.
Why the Knicks Job Mattered
Staley was especially candid about why the Knicks position held such appeal. Beyond the prestige of coaching one of the NBA’s most iconic franchises, she saw it as a unique chance to reshape perceptions.
“I would have had to do it,” she repeated. Her words underline that the decision would not have been about abandoning her program, but about taking a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead a team on the biggest stage in basketball while setting a precedent for future generations of women coaches.
The symbolism of a woman leading the Knicks—an organization at the center of New York City’s sports culture—would have reverberated across the league and beyond.
What This Means for the Future
While the Knicks turned elsewhere, Staley’s comments spark broader conversations about the NBA’s readiness to hire a female head coach. Several women, including Becky Hammon, Teresa Weatherspoon, and Kara Lawson, have been mentioned as potential candidates in recent years, but the league has yet to take that step.
Staley’s perspective reflects the double burden female candidates often face: proving they can handle the X’s and O’s of coaching at the highest level while also shouldering the cultural weight of being a pioneer.
Her willingness to acknowledge those realities openly shows both her self-awareness and her understanding of the broader stakes. It also underscores why she might still be among the first women seriously considered for such a position in the future.
For now, South Carolina fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing their coach isn’t heading to the NBA just yet. But her words make clear that if the right opportunity ever comes again, she will find it hard to say no.
A Turning Point Still to Come
The NBA’s decision to stick with the familiar rather than make history reflects a league balancing tradition with the push for progress. For Staley, the door remains ajar. She has already proven she can dominate the college game, and she clearly has the respect of players, coaches, and executives across basketball.
Her candid reflections show she understands the risks, the pressures, and the inevitable spotlight that would come with being the first. And still, she says she would have taken it.
That alone tells the story of why Dawn Staley remains one of the most important voices in basketball today.
