Insider Quiets Unique Knicks Coaching Rumor

The New York Knicks' coaching search reportedly roped in one of the most prominent names in women's basketball.

Apr 6, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first half of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the Connecticut Huskies at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Those who wish to see Dawn Staley in charge of the New York Knicks may be stung by the latest news from insider Shams Charania.

Charania touched upon the Knicks' search for a head coach in an NBA offseason update on ESPN's Monday edition of "The Pat McAfee Show" when he was asked by co-host AJ Hawk about the rumor of South Carolina women's basketball boss Dawn Staley making her way to Manhattan for an interview to succeed Tom Thibodeau.

If the Knicks have indeed made a call to Columbia, Charania has no intel about it.

“That is not something that has come across my desk”

— Shams on whether Dawn Staley is a Knicks coaching candidate pic.twitter.com/FsRhDD2QW0

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 30, 2025

"That is not something that has come at my desk," Charania told Hawk and McAfee, hinting that nor formal interviews have been conducted beyond what has already been reported (h/t New York Basketball). "It's not something that has hit their desk as of yet ... The Knicks are going through their process. I'm sure they're talking to several candidates. James Borrego, Taylor Jenkins, Mike Brown, Micah Nori, those are the known interviews, so far, that I have."

Staley, one of the most accomplished names in the history of women's basketball, has turned USC into a national powerhouse and consistent national championship contender.

She has won three national titles (2017, 2022, 2024) and she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for her playing career that began at the University of Virginia before her WNBA endeavors with the Charlotte Sting and Houston Comets. Staley also earned an Olympic gold medal at the helm of the United States women's national basketball team in 2021, adding to the three she earned as a player in 1996, 2000, and 2004.

Though several women (including former New York Liberty star Becky Hammon) have taken to the NBA sidelines as assistants, none have ever been at the helm.

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