New York Knicks Superstar Reacts To Dawn Staley Rumors, Fans Think It’s a Hint

The New York Knicks‘ search for a Head Coach has every NBA fan on the edge of their seat.

After firing Tom Thibodeau in a stunning move after their loss in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks have embarked on a rather dramatic head coaching search.

The search has involved some of the most famous and popular basketball minds including Mike Brown, Taylor Jenkins, Michael Malone, Jason Kidd, Chris Finch, Ime Udoka, Quin Snyder, Jay Wright and Micah Tori. The Knicks have been denied permission to speak to many of those coaches, specifically ones who still currently helm NBA teams. 

But perhaps the most fascinating name in the entire head coach search saga search came up on Saturday June 28, 2025. The Knicks are reportedly considering South Carolina Women’s Basketball Head Coach Dawn Staley for their head coaching position. The Knicks have reportedly even reached out to Staley about it. 

Staley, 55, would be the first female head coach of an NBA team. The MLB, NFL and NHL have never had female head coaches either, so Staley’s hiring would transcend the sports world with its historic nature. 

Her hiring would thrust the Knicks even further into the spotlight as watching her lead an NBA franchise would immediately become one of the most entertaining storylines of the 2025-26 NBA season.

But fans aren’t the only ones who are intrigued at the prospect of this move, Knicks players themselves appear to be amused by the rumors. 

After the rumors hit the internet, one fan posted a meme on X depicting Staley in one of her more heated moments on the court, suggesting that is what it would look like if Staley had to manage Knicks superstar Karl-Anthony Towns’s foul trouble. 

Towns himself reposted the post and reacted with a laughing emoji. 

It’s rare to see players acknowledging the rumors for who may be their franchise’s next Head Coach, so the post went viral and fans immediately wondered if it was a hint. 

“It’s happening aint it,” one fan said in the replies to the tweet. 

Dawn Staley’s Resumé

Since she started at South Carolina in 2008, Staley has become one of the most iconic coaches in all of basketball, and she’s done so by winning. 

She has led South Carolina to three national championships, including the first in South Carolina Women’s Basketball history in 2017 and a perfect season in 2024. 

She’s also led South Carolina to 9 SEC titles. 

She’s clearly overqualified for the job, and it makes perfect sense that the Knicks want to pursue her. It’s less a matter of what the Knicks think and more of a matter of what she thinks, because given she just signed a five-year contract extension to stay in South Carolina. That program means a lot to her and it’s a great situation for her to stay in. 

But if the Knicks bring a lot of money, who knows if she might be willing to consider this unprecedented opportunity?  

Is Towns Actually Hinting at Something? 

It’s possible that Towns reposted the meme just because he found it funny, and that his reaction was more about his famous struggles with foul trouble than Staley. 

But Towns is an NBA veteran and is well aware of the consequences of weighing in on coaching rumors, and he chose to make the post anyway. 

It seems like Towns knows that Staley would be must-see TV in New York, and he’d look forward to being entertained by her bench reactions as Knicks Head Coach. 

Players do often enjoy working with coaches that have big personalities. 

But what do you think, Knicks fans? Do you want to see Dawn Staley on the New York bench in 2025?