South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley revealed that she had a formal interview for the New York Knicks' head coaching vacancy and would've accepted the job if offered, which would've made her the first full-time female head coach in NBA history.

"I would have had to do it. Not just for me. For women. To break [that door] open," Staley said on the Post Moves podcast with WNBA star Aliyah Boston and WNBA legend Candace Parker. "I would have had to. It's the New York Knicks. I'm from Philly. But it's the freaking New York Knicks."

The Knicks, instead, hired Mike Brown who enters with a 454-304 career head coaching record during stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-2010, 2013-2014), Los Angeles Lakers (2011-2012) and Sacramento Kings (2022-2024). Staley, 55, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA champion, said she believes she did well in her interview, however, may have hurt her chances by asking team brass if they had fully considered and were prepared for hiring the first full-time female NBA head coach.

"How, if you hired me as the first female [head] coach in the NBA, would it impact your daily job? Because it would," Staley said on the Post Moves podcast. "You're going to be asked questions that you don't have to answer if you're a male coach. There's going to be the media and all this other stuff that you have to deal with that you didn't have to deal with and don't have to deal with when you hire a male.

"That got them to thinking, 'Maybe she's right.' I felt the energy change after that. So, I shot myself in the foot by ... being inquisitive and asking all those darn questions."

The Knicks also reportedly met with former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori before hiring Brown.

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Bill Handel