Dawn Staley Floated as Mavs HC Target by NBA Exec After Jason Kidd's Exit

As the Dallas Mavericks search for a new head coach in the wake of Jason Kidd's departure, one name being floated as a potential candidate is South Carolina's Dawn Staley.

Per Christian Clark of The Athletic, one NBA executive said they wouldn't be surprised if the Mavs request an interview with Staley.

Other notable names that have been suggested as candidates for Dallas include current NBA assistants Sean Sweeney of the San Antonio Spurs and Micah Nori of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This isn't the first time Staley has been suggested for a potential NBA coaching job. She had a formal interview with the New York Knicks last summer, but didn't make the list of finalists before they hired Mike Brown.

Appearing on the Post Moves podcast in August 2025 (h/t ESPN's Chris Herring), Staley said she would have taken the Knicks' job if offered but also explained it didn't seem like team officials considered how hiring a female coach would impact their jobs:

"How, if you hired me as the first female [head] coach in the NBA, would it impact your daily job? Because it would. You're going to be asked questions that you don't have to answer if you're a male coach. There's going to be the media and all this other stuff that you have to deal with that you didn't have to deal with and don't have to deal with when you hire a male. That got them to thinking, 'Maybe she's right.' I felt the energy change after that. So, I shot myself in the foot by ... being inquisitive and asking all those darn questions."

The Mavs are entering a new era with Masai Ujiri taking over as president of basketball operations. He has been cleaning house with people left over from the previous regime, including parting ways with Kidd and assistant general manager Matt Riccardi this week.

Ujiri almost certainly has considered the differences that would come from hiring a female head coach for an NBA team because he previously interviewed Becky Hammon when the Toronto Raptors were looking for Nick Nurse's replacement three years ago.

Staley has 26 years of head-coaching experience at the college level. She began her coaching career at Temple in 2000, leading the program to seven winning seasons and six NCAA tournament appearances in eight seasons.

Since 2008, Staley has been the head coach at South Carolina. She took over a program that had just two NCAA tournament appearances in 17 seasons prior to her arrival.

The Gamecocks have become a national powerhouse under Staley's guidance. They have reached the national title game five times in the last 10 seasons, winning three times during that span.

Dallas is coming off back-to-back losing seasons, including a 26-56 record in 2025-26, but the presence of Cooper Flagg makes it arguably the most attractive job opening for perspective head coaches.