Dawn Staley: NBA might not hire woman head coach in my lifetime - ESPN

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Dawn Staley says she is convinced that NBA teams might never be ready to hire a woman as a head coach after her recent experience with the New York Knicks.

Staley boasts one of the greatest coaching résumés in the history of basketball, which is why the Knicks interviewed her earlier this year before ultimately choosing Mike Brown as their new head coach to replace Tom Thibdeau.

Staley said she was legitimately interviewed by the Knicks and entered the process with an open mind, but acknowledged that she doesn't think the league is ready for such a historic hire.

«No, I don't [believe it will happen in my lifetime],» Staley said Tuesday during SEC media day. «And I hope I'm wrong.»

Staley said she accepted the interview opportunity from the Knicks because she has known team president Leon Rose and senior advisor William «Worldwide Wes» Wesley for 30 years.

Staley, who revealed earlier this year that she would have taken the job if the Knicks had made an offer, said she emphasized in the interview process that the Knicks would have to be prepared to handle the scrutiny she would have endured if she had been hired as the first woman head coach in NBA history.

«If the Knicks have a five-game losing streak, it's not going to be about the losing streak,» said Staley, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer who has won three national championships at South Carolina. «It's going to be about being a female coach. So you as an organization, a franchise, you have to be prepared for and strong enough to ignore those types of instances when you're going to look to hire a female coach.»

Although she doubts an NBA team will ever make that move, Staley said the process with the Knicks helped her learn more about the