Overview

• After firing Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks broadened their search beyond current NBA coaches due to denied interview requests and recent availability shifts.
• Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins have reached second-round interviews and are regarded as the leading contenders for the head coaching vacancy.
• The team made exploratory outreach to South Carolina’s Dawn Staley but has not scheduled a formal interview amid her commitments to the Gamecocks.
• Staley’s extension includes an exemption for NBA or WNBA roles, yet her public insistence on staying in college basketball tempers expectations.
• Fan and player interest in a potential first female NBA head coach intensified when Karl-Anthony Towns reacted with a laughing emoji to Staley rumors on social media.