If Philly wants Dawn Staley to be part of its WNBA expansion team, she’s made it clear what she’s looking for.
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“I don’t want to just coach. I want to own … and I do know my worth,” the North Philly native said ahead of Saturday’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction. “I do know if I go to a franchise it’s going to be better because of it, not just my basketball expertise, but … business acumen.”
Staley is part of the 1996 United States women’s national team being enshrined in Springfield, Mass. Staley herself was inducted as a player as part of the Class of 2013.
No one from the WNBA has approached Staley about a potential role with Philly come 2030, she said. She made it clear that her speaking on the topic was not her way of asking the team’s ownership, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, to reach out, but it’s not off the table.
She even already has some ideas for the path Philly needs to take to have early success once the team comes to fruition. That includes studying the Golden State Valkyries’ model and getting a president, general manager, and a coach who can appeal to fans and is close to Philly. But Staley reiterated that her words weren’t a pitch for herself.
Even if she doesn’t end up back in Philly, Staley’s still a Philly coach through and through, with roots that run deep and carry all the way to South Carolina. In her 26-year coaching career, 18 of which have been with the Gamecocks after an eight-year stint at Temple, the three-time NCAA champion coach said she still applies the lessons she learned growing up in North Philly to her college coaching philosophies.
“When you grow up in North Philly, you really think you can accomplish anything. Like, you’re unafraid, you’re fearless, you just have to figure out how you do it the cleanest way,” Staley said. “I keep those lessons with me because it really has gotten me to this point in my life.”
Staley isn’t the only inductee part of the Class of 2026 with Philly ties. Longtime NBA coach Doc Rivers also is being honored for his coaching career, which included a stint with the 76ers from 2020 to 2023.
During his time in Philly, Rivers led the Sixers to an 174-97 record including playoffs, for a .642 win percentage. His team made three straight playoff appearances but failed to advance past the Eastern Conference semifinals each time.
But Rivers looks back on his time in the city fondly, even though he acknowledges that some Sixers fans might not.
“I really believe my difficulty there was … I wanted different people around. But I wasn’t the president of the team,” Rivers said. “I thought our relationship was very difficult, Daryl [Morey] and I, and that made it rough for me. And I knew that. But also … I knew what worked. And I didn’t give up on that, and that probably, eventually, is the reason I wasn’t there in the end. And I’m fine with that now.”
Rivers was fascinated by the immediate changes made by new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey and HBSE president Bob Myers. That included the Jaylen Brown trade, which Rivers called “amazing,” and the LeBron James signing. But what Rivers said was more impressive was the other signings to create a team around these stars, like Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
“I think every GM in the league can go out and get the stars. But can you build around them? And in my opinion, that’s what Myers and Gansey have done,” Rivers said. “They’re going to get the ink for LeBron and for Jalen Brown. To me, every coach in the NBA is looking to do that, but they should get credit for all these other guys that they’re signing, and they’re doing a hell of a job there.”
Rivers, who coached the Boston Celtics from 2004 to 2013 and led them to two NBA Finals appearances, including a championship in 2008, said he was as surprised as everyone was when the Brown trade happened. Rivers jokingly said that the first thing he thought was when former Celtics player, coach, and broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn told him, “Don’t ever lose to the Sixers.”
With everything they’ve done this offseason, Rivers said the Sixers “have the right parts,” with players like James. The bulk of Rivers’ praise, however, was for Tyrese Maxey, who Rivers said is “as good of a player [he’s] coached in 26 years.
“I’ve always said, there’s certain people … through your life, they bring sunshine when they walk in their building, and then there’s certain people to bring in the cloud,” Rivers said. “Maxey, he walks in a locker room, and the sun comes out. And that is invaluable to have when it’s a long NBA season.”
Along with Rivers and Staley, Philadelphia native Joey Crawford is being enshrined for his 39-season career as an NBA referee. He worked 2,561 regular-season games, the second-most ever, and also officiated a record 374 playoff games, including 50 NBA Finals games.
WNBA champion, two-time MVP, and Olympic gold medalist Elena Delle Donne, a Wilmington native, also is being inducted. Delle Donne was a seven-time WNBA All-Star and was Rookie of the Year in 2013 after being drafted second overall by the Chicago Sky. During her collegiate career at Delaware, Delle Donne set nearly every women’s basketball school record.
Longtime Gonzaga coach Mark Few, six-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire, six-time WNBA All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw, three-time WNBA champion, seven-time All-Star and two-time league MVP Candace Parker, and Italian American former player and coach Mike D’Antoni round out the Class of 2026.