Dawn Staley would have left South Carolina for the Knicks

Dawn Staley would’ve taken the Knicks coaching job but believes she sabotaged her interview by “asking all those darn questions.”

“I shot myself in the foot by being inquisitive,” the legendary coach of the South Carolina women’s team said on the podcast, “Post Moves.”

Staley, 55, was among several candidates to sit with Knicks brass about the vacancy this summer, attempting to become the first woman to serve as head coach of an NBA squad. 

She said, “I thought I did pretty well,” applauding her preparation while declaring, “If the Knicks would’ve offered me the job, I would’ve had to do it.” However, Staley said she unwittingly convinced the Knicks that hiring a woman would bring distractions. 

“My other question was, ‘How if you hired me as the first female coach in the NBA, how would it affect your daily job?’ Because it would. It would,” Staley said. “Because you’re going to be asked questions that you wouldn’t be asked if you hired a male coach. There’s going to be the media and all this stuff you’re going to have to deal with that you didn’t have to deal with or you don’t have to deal with when you hire a male. 

“And that got them to thinking. That really got them thinking about, ‘S–t, maybe she’s right.’ And I felt the energy change after that.”

The Knicks interviewed at least four male candidates to replace Tom Thibodeau before hiring Mike Brown, a nearly 30-year veteran of NBA sidelines. They were also denied permission to interview multiple potential candidates who are current NBA head coaches, most notably their top choice, Jason Kidd of the Mavericks. 

Staley also revealed the Knicks were prioritizing synergy between the coach and staff during her interview, prompting her to ask, “Have the New York Knicks organization in its history ever had what you’re looking for?”

“They wanted a team. They wanted inclusiveness with management and the coaches,” Staley said. “They wanted to feel like a team, a closely-knit franchise. And their answer was really, ‘No.’ But if you don’t hire anybody different, how are you going to get that?”

Staley also interviewed with the Trail Blazers in 2021 for a head-coaching vacancy that was ultimately filled by Chauncey Billups. 

It’s unclear whether Staley would’ve accepted an offer from Portland, but she’s now on the record about the Knicks.

“I interviewed for the Knicks. I did. It was the same interview that everybody else who was in the candidate pool – same thing. Went in. I thought I did pretty well,” Staley said. “I thought I was well prepared for the interview. If the Knicks would’ve offered me the job, I would’ve had to do it. Not just for me. It’s for women. Just to break open that. Because it’s the New York Knicks. And I’m from Philly. But it’s the freaking New York Knicks. And I did say that in the interview.”

In Staley’s mind, it’s at least partly because she planted a seed about the distractions of hiring a woman. 

“Would I take any NBA job? No,” Staley said. “But 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.’”