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LOOK: ESPN Sportscenter host suggests Dawn Staley should take NBA job

Sean Labarby:Sean Labar•04/04/22•

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South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley. Photo by Katie Dugan, GamecockCentral.com
South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley. Photo by Katie Dugan, GamecockCentral.com

Dawn Staley has turned the South Carolina women’s basketball team into a national powerhouse and now reputable sports media believe she would be the ideal choice to take over for the Philadelphia 76ers, although legendary NBA coach Doc Rivers has now secured a spot in the playoffs for his talented group out of the Eastern Conference.

South Carolina was the No. 1 team in the country from the beginning of the season to the end, as the Gamecocks made their fourth Final Four appearance in the last eight seasons and won their second National Championship under Dawn Staley, defeating Geno Auriemma’s 11-time national champion UConn Huskies 64-49 in the title game on Sunday night in Minneapolis. 

Somee may consider this a bit of a stretch, one ESPN Sportscenter host took to social media to suggest Staley as a possible candidate for NBA legendary head coach Doc Rivers, who helped the Philadelphia 76ers clinch a playoff spot the fifth consecutive season. It is the longest playoff streak for Philadelphia since 1998-2003 when they also made the playoffs five times in a row.

It seems like strange timing, there is validation and logic behind the claim from Max McGee.

While Staley — a Philadelphia native who has a proven track record and helped build a Gamecocks program that has now taken the reigns from the UConn program that was unbeatable for years — is a coach that has continued to rise and deliver int he biggest moments, many doubt that Rivers will be able to maximize the talent he inherited and take the 76ers to the NBA Finals.

Aside from his 2008 championship the 60-year-old has quickly earned an unwanted reputation for choking on the biggest stage 

Rivers himself, acknowledged that Just making the playoffs is not enough for this team, however. It has its eyes on a much bigger prize.

“I am happy, but that’s the assumption, but you got to do these steps to get to where you want to go,” said coach Doc Rivers. “The first step is getting in; we’re in. The second step is whoever we play and being ready for that.”

The argument for Dawn Staley leading the 76ers

Saley — a native of Philadelphia — has impressive credentials and her resume is impeccable. The Gamecocks coach now boasts two NCAA national championships, three Olympic gold medals (two as a player, one as coach), six-time WNBA All-Star, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. Staley would be an interesting name to consider (and stupid to ignore) should Rivers and the Sixers bow out early in the 2021-22 playoffs.

While Rivers is in command now, the NBA has been one of the most progressive leagues in giving women an opportunity to coach.