Daybreak Staley Says She Would Have Left South Carolina for Knicks’ Head Teaching Job

Dawn Staley said if she’d been offered the New York Knicks head coaching job, she would have felt compelled to leave South Carolina — where she has won three national championships — to take the position.

Staley interviewed with the Knicks before they hired Mike Brown last month.

“I would have had to do it. Not just for me. For women. To break [that door] open,” Staley stated on the “Put up Strikes” podcast with Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever and former WNBA star Candace Parker. “I’d have needed to. It’s the New York Knicks. I’m from Philly. However it’s the freaking New York Knicks.”

Daybreak Staley talks with two of her South Carolina gamers throughout the nationwide championship recreation in opposition to UConn in April. (Picture by Carmen Mandato/Getty Photographs)

It is unclear how severely the Knicks thought-about hiring Staley.

New York interviewed a number of different candidates for the place, together with former Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego, former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.

The 55-year-old Staley stated she thought she did nicely within the interview.

Nevertheless, she questioned whether or not she could have jeopardized her probabilities of touchdown the NBA job when she requested Knicks officers in the event that they have been absolutely ready for the way it would possibly impression the group to rent the league’s first feminine head coach.

“How, for those who employed me as the primary feminine [head] coach within the NBA, wouldn’t it impression your day by day job? As a result of it could,” Staley stated. “You’re going to be requested questions that you simply don’t must reply for those who’re a male coach. There’s going to be the media and all this different stuff that you must take care of that you simply didn’t must take care of and don’t must take care of while you rent a male. That obtained them to considering, ‘Possibly she’s proper.’”

Staley stated she felt the power change after that.

“So, I shot myself within the foot by being inquisitive and asking all these darn questions,” Staley stated.

Reporting by The Related Press.

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