Mavs could interview Dawn Staley for head coach vacancy: report
Mavs might interview Dawn Staley for coaching job?
A report from The Athletic links the Mavericks' head coaching vacancy to South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley. FOX 4's Jeff Kolb and Ethan Herrera discuss what that potential move would mean for the franchise and the NBA.
DALLAS - One report is linking the Dallas Mavericks to a potential head coaching candidate that would make NBA history.
Mavs head coaching search
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks on during the first quarter against the UCLA Bruins in the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 0
The Athletic's Christian Clark says an NBA executive told him it "wouldn't be shocking" if the Dallas Mavericks wanted to interview South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley for their vacant head coaching position.
Staley has been at South Carolina since 2008, and has led the Gamecocks to three national championships. Her overall record at South Carolina stands at 511 wins and 113 losses.
She has never coached professionally, and if the Mavs were to hire her, Staley would be the first female head coach in NBA history.
Clark notes that Staley previously interviewed for the New York Knicks' head coaching job, which ultimately went to Mike Brown.
Staley said on a podcast after the interview that she believes "no NBA team is ready for a female coach right now."
New Mavs President Masai Ujiri interviewed Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon for the Toronto Raptors' head coaching position when he was leading their front office in 2023.
The Mavericks moved on from former head coach Jason Kidd on May 19.
More Mavs rumors
Dig deeper:
The article also lists four other potential candidates the Mavericks could interview: San Antonio Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, and Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Thiago Splitter.
Sweeney spent several seasons under Jason Kidd on the Mavericks' staff before leaving for San Antonio prior to this season.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 4: Assistant Coach Sean Sweeney and Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Round Two Game One of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 4, 2026 at the Frost Bank Ce
Scheyer coached NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg during his lone year at Duke.
Nori has interviewed for several other head coaching positions in the NBA in the last several years.
Splitter won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs as a player, and led the Trail Blazers to the playoffs after taking over early in the season following Chauncey Billups' arrest.
The Source: Information in this story comes from The Athletic.