The New York Knicks passed up the chance to do something historic.
A new report from ESPN’s Chris Herring revealed on Wednesday that the Knicks interviewed South Carolina’s Dawn Staley for their previously vacant head coaching position.
The Knicks ended up hiring longtime NBA head coach Mike Brown.
Staley said that if she had been offered the job, she would have taken it.
“I would have had to do it,” Staley said on the “Post Moves” podcast, per Herring.
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Staley indicated that she would have accepted the job not just for her own career, but for the advancement of gender equality in the pro sports sphere.
“(I would have to take the job) not just for me. For women. To break [that door] open,” Staley said, per Herring. “I would have had to. It’s the New York Knicks. I’m from Philly. But it’s the freaking New York Knicks.”
After firing Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks interviewed a ton of candidates, and Staley is among the most accomplished leaders that they pursued.
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It’ll be interesting to see if Brown can build upon the success that Thibodeau had in New York. The bar has been set mighty high, and there’s the possibility that New York’s current roster — headlined by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns — hit its ceiling last season by coming within striking distance of the NBA Finals.