Kara Lawson won basketball Olympic gold as a USA Basketball Women’s National Team player at Beijing 2008. Now, 17 years later, she will have the chance to guide the team to a ninth straight Olympic title after being named as the new head coach on 22 September.
The decorated mentor previously led the US women’s 3×3 team to the sport’s first-ever Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020, and served as an assistant coach during the team’s golden runs at the FIBA 2022 World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Lawson most recently served as head coach of Duke University.
Lawson, 44, will take over from Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve at the helm of the national programme.
“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”, Lawson told USA Basketball.
Her appointment comes at a crucial moment as the team prepares for the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Berlin, Germany, and the Olympics on home soil at LA 2028 where they hope to extend their golden dynasty.