Dawn Staley doubts an NBA coach: Knicks and the female future

Dawn Staley: Is the NBA Ready for a Head Coach?

Dawn Staley, recognized for her outstanding career in basketball, has expressed her doubts about the possibility of NBA teams being prepared to hire a woman as head coach. Her statements come after her recent experience with the New York Knicks. Staley, whose resume places her among the most successful figures in basketball history, was interviewed by the Knicks earlier this year before the team opted for Mike Brown as their new coach. Staley stated that the interview with the Knicks was legitimate and that he approached the process with an open mind. However, he acknowledged that he does not believe the league is ready for a historic appointment of this nature.

“No, I don’t think it will happen in my lifetime,” Staley stated during SEC media day. “And I hope I’m wrong.”

Dawn Staley

Staley, 55, explained that she accepted the opportunity to be interviewed by the Knicks due to her 30-year relationship with team president Leon Rose and senior advisor William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley. Staley, who revealed earlier this year that she would have accepted the position if the Knicks had offered it to her, emphasized during the interview process that the team should be prepared to face the scrutiny that her appointment as the first female head coach in NBA history would entail.

“If the Knicks had a five-game losing streak, it wouldn’t be about the losing streak,” said Staley, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and winner of three national championships with South Carolina. “It would be about being a female coach. So, as an organization, as a franchise, you have to be prepared and be strong enough to ignore those kinds of situations when you’re going to hire a coach.”

Dawn Staley

Although Staley doubts that an NBA team will take that step, he stated that the process with the Knicks helped him learn more about the possibility, which may benefit future candidates and NBA teams.

“If there’s anyone interested in knowing and being the first female NBA coach, I have all the information,” she said. “Come see me, because I’ll prepare you for the interview.”

Dawn Staley

“And if there are NBA franchises interested in hiring a woman, I’m here too, because you have to be prepared to take that on and everything that comes with it, because it’s not just about hiring the first female coach.” Staley’s Gamecocks are ranked number 2 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll, just behind defending champion UConn. South Carolina announced this week that Chloe Kitts, an AP All-America honorable mention last season, will miss the entire year due to a torn ACL. Staley indicated that the injury is a big loss for the Gamecocks because Kitts is “irreplaceable,” but also stated that the injury will not end the program’s title aspirations.

“We are not afraid to face the season without Kitts,” she said. “We are not going to lose our rhythm. Our players know that when we suffer any type of injury, we believe in the system we have put in place. We believe in the players we have gathered.”

Dawn Staley