Dawn Staley Doubts NBA Will Hire a Woman Head Coach in Her Lifetime
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 14, 2025 — South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley said Tuesday she does not expect to see an NBA franchise name a woman as head coach while she is alive, citing her own recent experience interviewing with the New York Knicks.
The three-time national champion and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer told reporters at Southeastern Conference media day that the Knicks conducted a “legitimate” interview earlier this year before choosing Mike Brown to replace Tom Thibodeau. “No, I don’t [believe it will happen in my lifetime],” the 55-year-old said. “And I hope I’m wrong.”
Staley, who has known Knicks president Leon Rose and senior adviser William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley for three decades, accepted the interview but warned team officials that a female coach would face intense scrutiny beyond wins and losses. “If the Knicks have a five-game losing streak, it’s not going to be about the losing streak,” she said. “It’s going to be about being a female coach.”
The Philadelphia native added that she would have taken the job had it been offered and is willing to share her interview insights with other candidates or teams considering a historic hire. “If there is somebody interested in being the first female NBA coach, I’ve got all the information,” Staley said. “And if there are NBA franchises interested in hiring a female, I’m here, too.”
On the college front, Staley’s Gamecocks open the season ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press preseason poll, behind defending champion UConn. South Carolina will be without forward Chloe Kitts, an AP All-America honorable mention who suffered a torn ACL this week. Staley called Kitts “irreplaceable” but said the program’s championship ambitions remain intact. “We’re not going to skip a beat,” she said.
Source: ESPN
