Celebrated South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has revealed that she would have accepted the New York Knicks’ head coaching position had it been offered to her following a formal interview.
Appearing on the “Post Moves” podcast with Aliyah Boston and Candace Parker, Staley explained she felt a responsibility to accept the role. “I would have had to do it. Not just for me. For women. To break that door open,” she said. “It’s the New York Knicks. I’m from Philly. But it’s the freaking New York Knicks.”
The Hall of Fame coach, who has led the Gamecocks to three national championships, speculated that she may have undermined her own candidacy by questioning the Knicks’ front office about their preparedness for such a historic hire. Staley recalled asking the team’s executives how hiring the first full-time female head coach in NBA history would impact their daily operations.
“You’re going to be asked questions that you don’t have to answer if you’re a male coach,” she recounted saying during the interview. “There’s going to be the media and all this other stuff that you have to deal with.”
Staley believes her line of questioning shifted the dynamic of the meeting. “That got them to thinking, ‘Maybe she’s right.’ I felt the energy change after that,” she admitted. “So, I shot myself in the foot by … being inquisitive and asking all those darn questions.”
In early July, the Knicks ultimately hired veteran coach Mike Brown to fill the vacancy. The organization’s search also included interviews with former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego, and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
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