The New York Knicks almost made NBA history: they were in talks with a female coach to lead the team

« I would have had to do it. Not just for myself, but for women, to break that barrier, » said Staley. « I would have had to do it. It’s the Knicks… I may be from Philadelphia, but they’re still the damn New York Knicks! » The 55-year-old coach had indeed interviewed with New York executives when they were looking for Tom Thibodeau’s replacement. She was competing with Mike Brown, Taylor Jenkins, James Borrego, and Micah Nori. However, she now feels she « shot herself in the foot » during that interview.

Dawn Staley confirmed she had a formal interview for the Knicks’ head coach vacancy earlier this summer.

And she was ready to leave South Carolina for New York if she was offered the job 👀 pic.twitter.com/KFwXslwSTg

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 27, 2025

« How would it affect your daily work if you hired me as the first female coach in the NBA? Because it would have an impact, » she had asked them. « You’ll definitely get questions that you wouldn’t have to answer if I were a man. You’d have to deal with the media and everything else. »

A thoughtful approach that cost her the position

Staley explained that her questions made the Knicks executives think: « So it made them think, they thought I might be right, and I felt the energy change afterward… I kind of shot myself in the foot by being too curious and asking all these damn questions. »

The former player has an impressive record. A three-time Olympic gold medalist as a player (1996, 2000, and 2004) and gold medal-winning coach (2021), she has also won three NCAA titles with South Carolina (2017, 2022, and 2024) and has been named Coach of the Year four times (2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024).

The Knicks ultimately chose Mike Brown after this extensive search. However, Staley remains a pioneer in women’s basketball and continues to make history from South Carolina, where she can still coach for many years while leaving a lasting legacy in women’s basketball.