The USA Women’s Basketball team just made the ideal choice

Kara Lawson Appointed Head Coach of US Women’s Basketball National Team

Kara Lawson has been announced as the new head coach of the US Women’s Basketball National Team, as confirmed by US Basketball on Wednesday. She will coach the team at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where she aims to add to her impressive collection of nine consecutive gold medals.

Lawson succeeds Cheryl Reeve, who previously coached the team through the 2024 Olympics after her role as an assistant for the 2016 and 2020 games.

Her basketball career in the WNBA spanned from 2003 to 2015, during which she contributed to the team’s gold medal win in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Drafted fifth overall by the Detroit Shock, Lawson enjoyed a standout college career at the University of Tennessee. She secured a WNBA title in 2005 and earned All-Star honors in 2007.

Transitioning to coaching, Lawson began as an assistant for the Boston Celtics under Brad Stevens in 2019 and took the helm at Duke University’s women’s basketball team in 2020. Last season, she led Duke to its first ACC Tournament win and a run to the Elite 8. Under her guidance, the Blue Devils made three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

“I will make tireless efforts to uphold the standards of this prestigious program,” Lawson expressed, acknowledging the honor and responsibility of leading America’s women in basketball. “This has been something I have been working on for a long time. I’m grateful for the opportunity to coach these talented players and committed to helping them realize their full potential,” she added.

Kara Lawson’s Impact on American Basketball

In the gold medal game against Australia in 2008, Lawson was a standout, scoring 15 points without a miss from the field. Furthermore, she played a significant role in the 3×3 team that secured another gold medal in 2020 alongside Kelsey Plum and others. In 2024, she joined USA Basketball as an assistant coach.

With Lawson back in a leadership position, it marks a trend of college coaches heading the US women’s team in the Olympics. Prior to her, Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley held these roles in the 2012, 2016, and 2020 games.