WASHINGTON (7News) — USA Basketball announced Olympic Gold medalist Kara Lawson will be the new head coach for the 2025-2028 USA Women’s Basketball national team.
“Lawson will lead the USA women at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin next fall and at the Olympics Games Los Angeles 2028. Additionally, Lawson will coach at qualifying tournaments, training camps and exhibitions throughout the Olympic cycle,” USA basketball stated in an announcement.
Lawson’s basketball career started in Fairfax County where she was a West Springfield High School standout. She furthered her career at Tennessee playing under the late Pat Summit. Lawson was selected 5th overall to the Detroit Shock in the 2005 WNBA draft. Her professional career spans over 13 seasons with multiple franchises including the Shock, Connecticut Sun, Washington Mystics and Sacramento Monarchs — where she won the 2005 WNBA Championship.
The Alexandria native finished her career in the DMV with the Mystics.
Her coaching career spans across college and professional leagues; Lawson was an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics before making history as the first Black woman to lead the Duke women’s basketball team in 2020.
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“In addition to an Olympic gold medal as a player at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Lawson helped the USA claim gold medals as an assistant coach at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup, Olympic Games Paris 2024 and, most recently, as head coach at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. Lawson also coached the USA Basketball 3×3 Women’s National Team to gold at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the first time 3×3 was contested at a Games,” USA basketball said.
Lawson was selected by USA Basketball’s Women’s National Team managing director Sue Bird and was approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.