Kara Lawson Name USA Women’s National Team Head Coach

USA Basketball announced the hiring of Kara Lawson as head coach for the USA Women’s National team on Monday.

Lawson is entering her sixth season as head coach for Duke women’s basketball, a program she led to an appearance in the 2025 NCAA Elite Eight.

“I am so excited to welcome Kara Lawson as the next head coach of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team,” USA Basketball Women’s National Team managing director Sue Bird said in a statement. “Having shared the court with her, I know firsthand the leadership, competitive spirit and basketball I.Q. that she brings. Kara has always had the respect of her teammates and her players, something she has earned and demonstrated over decades with USA Basketball as a player, 3×3 coach and assistant coach. I can’t wait to work with her and continue to build on the tradition of excellence that USA Basketball stands for.”

Lawson gained recognition when she served as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics for one season before being appointed as head coach for the Blue Devils.

She also became the first woman to work as a nationwide broadcast analyst for an NBA game back in 2007, during a match between the Washington Wizards and the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans).

Lawson’s Playing Credentials

Lawson played NCAA basketball under the late Pat Summitt for the Tennessee Lady Vols, where she was named to the All-SEC First Team for four consecutive years. She was drafted fifth overall by the Detroit Shock in the 2003 WNBA Draft, just to be traded to the Sacramento Monarchs five days after.

Lawson played for three teams—Monarchs, Connecticut Sun, and Washington Mystics—during her 13-season career in the WNBA and was part of the Sacramento Monarchs’ championship team in 2005. She was also named a WNBA All-Star in 2007.

Kara Lawson 2028 🫡@karalawson20 x 🇺🇸 #USABWNT pic.twitter.com/KDiWwEjKkp

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) September 22, 2025

Lawson participated in USA Basketball and won two gold medals as a player: the 2001 World University Games and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

“I am honored to be selected as the head coach of the Women’s National Team for this cycle,” Lawson said in a statement. “I want to thank Sue Bird, General Dempsey and the USA Basketball Board of Directors, Jim Tooley and Briana Gould for this tremendous opportunity.

“I will work tirelessly to uphold the standards of this storied program. There is no greater honor in our sport than to be chosen to lead the U.S. women in world competition. I understand the responsibility and the challenges that lie ahead. I look forward to meeting them head on. This has been something I’ve worked towards for a long time. I’m thankful to all of the players that I’ve had the opportunity to coach and all of the coaches I’ve learned from. There is nothing more important than pushing this group to reach its potential. I can’t wait to get started!”

During the introductory press conference that took place on Tuesday, Lawson began her speech listing the notable coaches who were a part of the USA Women’s National Team throughout the years.

Lawson mentioned the late Pat Summitt, Van Chancellor, Geno Auriemma, Tara VanDerveer, Dawn Staley, and Cheryl Reeve.

Respect for the past, vision for the future. 🙌

Kara Lawson begins her journey as head coach by recognizing the coaches before her who paved the way.

🇺🇸 #USABWNT pic.twitter.com/3oC4mUd6Sz

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) September 23, 2025

“What a powerful group to join,” Lawson said Tuesday. “That’s why the emotion is bubbling up inside of me. It’s an amazing, powerful group that has not only paved the way, but pushed the envelope of women’s basketball to where it is today, and helped create the standard and the expectations that everyone that stands up talks about. When they talk about USA Basketball, it’s a special place, it’s a special feeling, it’s a special opportunity, and I understand and feel that deeply here today.”

What Team USA’s 2028 Roster Could Look Like

With increased interest in women’s basketball over the past few years, the players are in line to make Team USA in 2028 is a hot topic of discussion.

Guards Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, along with forwards Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, are players that could earn positive evaluations from Bird and Lawson ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics. All of these players have had experiences with USA Basketball.

Lawson has an outstanding coaching resume at the collegiate, professional, and Olympic levels, and USA Basketball is optimistic she is ready for the opportunity.

The USA Women’s National Team is coming off its eighth consecutive gold medal finish in Paris last summer. Their dominance has turned legendary since winning Gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics with a team that featured legends and Hall of Famers such as Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, and Sheryl Swoopes.

“When I thought about the qualities that we were going to need for our head coach, I looked for someone who understood the experience of having USA on their chest,” Bird said during introductory press conference Tuesday. “In Kara (Lawson)’s case, it came in the form of a jersey as well as a polo. With the 13 gold medals that she has won as both a coach and a player, her international experience is unmatched, and her ability and the proof that she has shown to win on these big stages your journey, Kara has perfectly positioned and prepared you for this moment.”

Lawson will assume Cheryl Reeve‘s role as head coach of the USA Women’s National Team and will first lead the unit in to the 2026 Women’s World Cup in Berlin and then the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.