Dawn Staley Reveals How Close She Came to Coaching the New York Knicks
Dawn Staley’s Hall of Fame playing career and ongoing iconic coaching career have occurred in women’s basketball, but she is a basketball giant in any arena.
Staley considered patrolling the sidelines at basketball’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
The South Carolina head women’s basketball coach joined Craig Melvin on “Glass Half Full” and detailed the interview process for the New York Knicks head coaching job last summer.
“I’ve had opportunities to leave here,” Staley said of her heralded South Carolina program. “Several opportunities, and I’m like, there is no better place to work. There’s no better place to live.”
Melvin asked whether Staley would ever consider coaching in the WNBA, and Staley said, “Not one ounce. Not WNBA.”
Staley added, “I entertained the Knicks job. I did. I came up there and interviewed. I sat down with [Knicks president] Leon [Rose] and Wes and the whole Knicks organization. I went through the process. Like every candidate on their list, [I] came and sat down with them, had lunch, was interviewed, got up on the whiteboard.”
Staley said the Knicks didn’t offer her the head coaching job, which went to Mike Brown, but she admitted, “I did get excited about the Knicks job. I did. I got excited, more so than I ever have [about] any NBA [job] because I interviewed for the Trail Blazers job during the pandemic.”
The Portland Trail Blazers interviewed Staley during the 2021 offseason.
In January 2025, Staley signed an extension with South Carolina through the 2029-30 season. ESPN’s Michael Voepel reported at the time that Staley’s contract was worth approximately $25.25 million, making her the highest-paid college women’s basketball coach.
Staley’s college coaching career began at Temple in 2000, and she arrived at South Carolina in 2008. Since 2017, Staley’s Gamecocks have appeared in five national championship games, winning three (2017, 2022, 2024).
Most recently, No. 1 South Carolina lost to No. 1 UCLA 79-51 in the national title game on April 5.
Staley saw three of her players selected in the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday night. The Indiana Fever took Raven Johnson at No. 10 overall, the Atlanta Dream took Madina Okot at No. 13 overall, and the Los Angeles Sparks drafted Ta’Niya Latson at No. 20 overall.
Meanwhile, the Knicks finished the regular season with a 53-29 record in Mike Brown’s first year. Tom Thibodeau learned the hard way that having a winning regular-season record wasn’t enough when the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, and he got fired.
Should the Knicks fail to at least reach the Eastern Conference Finals this season, Staley might want to keep her phone nearby.
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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 7:42 PM.