“I’ve never wanted to jump even to the WNBA”: When Dawn Staley made her feelings clear on coaching in the NBA

Dawn Staley revealed her stance on coaching in the WNBA or NBA during an interview on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast episode released on Jan. 11, 2024.

As Hill asked Staley whether she would go for an NBA coaching role in the future, Staley shared her affinity towards coaching budding players and helping them carve out their dream careers.

"I'm not really passionate about that. I've never wanted to jump even to the WNBA," Staley said (27:28).

"There's something about college basketball, being able to be a dream merchant for young people, there's something about that that stays with me. I'm really not done with it yet."

Dawn Staley has been leading the South Carolina Gamecocks since 2018 and has led the program to three NCAA titles. Her latest national championship came off an undefeated 38-0 run, beating Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the title game.

Staley signed a $4 million per year (until 2029-30 season) contract earlier this month. The new deal allows her to leave Gamecocks for a coaching role in the big league but requires her to pay the remaining amount of the contract to switch college programs. Nevertheless, she doubled down on her stance on coaching in the WNBA or NBA.

"I will never leave here to coach another college job," she said. "I have the best of the best here. I really don't have a passion for the next level, I don't. I would have been gone, seriously.

"So to have it in there (exit clause), it was just something fancy to have (a reporter) ask me that question."

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Dawn Staley once interviewed for the Portland Trail Blazers coaching role

While speaking about her reservation about coaching in the big league, Dawn Staley shared that she once interviewed with the Portland Trail Blazers. She shared that it was just a way for her to gather the necessary tools in case a female coach wanted to work in the NBA.

"I did interview for the Portland Trail Blazers job, it was a full-blown interview and I took notes because I wanted if there's another female that wanted to go that route," she said (at 27:57). "I got the notes, I got what they asked, I do, I recorded it, seriously I did."

Dawn Staley didn't reveal the year or the exact position she was interviewing for with the Blazers. With that, the incident could have occurred in 2012, when Terry Stotts was given the role or in 2021, when Chauncey Billups became the coach.