Knicks Have Reportedly Reached Out To Dawn Staley Over Vacant Head Coaching Role

The New York Knicks are currently the only NBA team without a head coach after firing Tom Thibodeau on June 3. The Knicks have been linked to quite a few names, and Knicks Fan TV now reports the team has reached out to South Carolina Gamecocks' head coach Dawn Staley. 

"According to league sources, both Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown are headed for a second round of interviews. Micah Nori is still being considered. The Knicks have also reached out to South Carolina HC Dawn Staley about the job."

Staley has won three national titles with the Gamecocks (2017, 2022, 2024) and is one of the greatest coaches in women's basketball history. She has a 475-110 record at South Carolina and led the program to a historic undefeated season in 2023-24.

Staley's resume speaks for itself, and she'd be the first female head coach in NBA history if the Knicks do hire her. Becky Hammon was the first female to even be a finalist for a head coaching role in the NBA in 2021 when the Portland Trail Blazers interviewed her.

Hammon would end up losing out to Chauncey Billups and decided to head over to the WNBA later that year. She had been an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs for eight seasons, but still found head coaching opportunities hard to come by.

Will Staley be the one to finally end the long wait for a female head coach in the NBA? Well, only time will tell. It's unclear if Staley even has an interest in the job, as she signed a new contract earlier this year. She has given no indication of wanting to leave, but if she does consider the opportunity, she'll face some stiff competition.

Mike Brown is a two-time Coach of the Year (2009, 2023) who reached the NBA Finals in 2007 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Taylor Jenkins, meanwhile, led the Memphis Grizzlies to back-to-back 50-win seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

As for Micah Nori, he is regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the NBA, and the Minnesota Timberwolves would hope to hold on to him. Along with these three, the Knicks are also interviewing New Orleans Pelicans associate coach James Borrego, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.

Prior to these interviews, the Knicks adopted the rather interesting strategy of going after head coaches currently employed by NBA teams. They requested to interview Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka, Chris Finch, Billy Donovan, and Quin Snyder, but their respective teams rejected the approaches.  

The Knicks were reportedly told by some of those teams to "f*** off," which isn't too surprising. It was a bizarre approach, and they're now going the traditional route. There is no clear favorite for the vacancy at the moment