Dawn Staley Could Be Leaving South Carolina For NBA Job
Dawn Staley is the best women's basketball coach in college basketball - and perhaps the entire world.
The former University of Virginia and WNBA star has been leading South Carolina's women's basketball program since the 2008 season. Staley started her coaching career at Temple from 2000-08, before leaving for the Gamecocks. She's turned South Carolina into the best program in the country, winning three national championships and making seven Final Fours.
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Staley has been linked to other jobs over the years - including some men's college basketball ones, along with some NBA ones - but every time, she's decided to stay put. And she's been paid well for it. The 55-year-old head coach is reportedly making a $4 million base salary as part of a five year, $25.25 million contract.
But could Staley actually consider leaving South Carolina this time?
TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 04: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks on in the third quarter against the Texas Longhorns in the Final Four game of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Amalie Arena on April 04, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by)The New York Knicks are in need of a new head coach. New York fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after an Eastern Conference Finals loss. The Knicks made runs at various NBA head coaches, including Billy Donovan and Quin Snyder, among others, but they were rebuffed.
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Could the Knicks now be turning to Staley?
According to reports, Staley has been linked to the New York Knicks job. The Knicks are rumored to have reached out to Staley about the position. Even Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns has reacted to the coaching rumors on social media.
Fouls became an issue for Towns during the 2024-25 season. The Knicks' coaching staff admitted it was something he needed to work on.
'There's good aggressive fouls and there's fouls that are obviously cheap that you have to clean up,' Thibodeau said last December, according to New York Post's Stefan Bondy. 'I think that's the important thing for him to understand, the difference between the two and how it's being called. I think discipline is the most important thing."
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It'll be interesting to see how Staley approaches Towns and his foul trouble if she ends up taking the job.
Staley leaving for the NBA is probably a long shot, but it continues to be mentioned as a possibility.
Dawn Staley Could Be Leaving South Carolina For NBA Job first appeared on The Spun on Jun 30, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
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