This past week in the National Basketball Association we found out that the New York Knicks had interviewed Dawn Staley of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for their head coaching job. We all know that the Knicks settled on Mike Brown, but the fact that Staley was in the mix was extremely historic. We also found out according to the Associated Press, that Staley would have left her comfortable job as the head coach of the University of South Carolina to become the first woman ever to be the head coach in the NBA.
Staley has been a legend in women’s basketball, not just as a coach, but a player too. She was one of the greatest point guards ever in the history of the women’s game, and led the United States to three consecutive Olympic gold medals (1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens). Staley was also a six-time WNBA All-Star with the Charlotte Sting and Houston Comets from 2001 to 2006.
Then as a coach, Staley has had a remarkable record of 647 wins and 190 losses for a winning percentage of .773 in 25 seasons coaching Temple and South Carolina. Staley also led the Gamecocks to three NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships (2017, 2022 and 2024), and the United States to Olympic gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
The bottom line is if Staley wants to coach in the NBA, she is just as qualified as anyone else. At 55 years old, her time could genuinely be sooner rather than later.
