Kara Lawson

Lawson withDuke in 2025
Duke Blue Devils
Title	Head coach
League	Atlantic Coast Conference
Personal information
Born	(1981-02-14)February 14, 1981 (age 45) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
Career information
High school	West Springfield (Springfield, Virginia)
College	Tennessee (1999–2003)
WNBA draft	2003: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Drafted by	Detroit Shock
Playing career	2003–2015
Position	Point guard
Number	20
Coaching career	2019–present
Career history
Playing
2003–2009	Sacramento Monarchs
2010–2013	Connecticut Sun
2014–2015	Washington Mystics
Coaching
2019–2020	Boston Celtics (assistant)
2020–present	Duke
Career highlights
As player: WNBA champion (2005) WNBA All-Star (2007) 2×Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award (2009, 2012) Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award (2013) Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (2003) 2x All-American –USBWA (2002, 2003) Kodak All-American (2003) Second-team All-American –AP (2003) Third-team All-American – AP (2002) 4x First-team All-SEC (2000–2003) SEC All-Freshman Team (2000) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1999) As coach: ACC Tournament Champion (2025)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats atBasketball Reference
Medals Women'sbasketball Representingthe United States World University Games 2001 Beijing Team Competition Olympic Games 2008 Beijing Team competition Women's3x3 basketball Head coach for the United States Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo Team

Kara Marie Lawson (born February 14, 1981) is an Americanbasketball coach and former player who is the head coach of theDuke Blue Devils women's basketball team. She played professionally in theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and has also been a basketball television analyst forESPN and theWashington Wizards.^[1][2] Lawson primarily played as ashooting guard. She won a gold medal at the2008 Olympics inBeijing, China, a championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in the2005 WNBA Finals, and coached theUnited States women's national 3x3 team to gold in the2020 Summer Olympics.^[3] Lawson retired from the WNBA in 2015 to focus on her broadcasting career.^[4] She began her coaching career as an assistant coach for theBoston Celtics of theNBA in 2019.

Lawson attendedSidwell Friends School her freshman year, then went toWest Springfield High School, where she played on the girls'basketball andsoccer teams. Lawson was named aWBCA All-American in 1999.^[5] Her high school record was 83-2 and won 2 state championships in her sophomore and senior years with a perfect 30–0 record. She participated in the 1999WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored twenty points, and earned MVP honors.^[6][7]

Lawson attended theUniversity of Tennessee (UT) and played for the Lady Vols basketball team, coached byPat Summitt. She enrolled in UT's College of Business, and graduated in 2003 with a degree in finance. Lawson received theFrances Pomeroy Naismith Award from theWomen's Basketball Coaches Association as the best senior player under 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m).^[8] In 2018, Tennessee GovernorBill Haslam named Lawson to the board of trustees of the University of Tennessee, the governing body of the UT system.^[9] In 2003, Lawson was named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar byDiverse: Issues In Higher Education.^[10]

On April 24, 2003, Lawson was selected as the fifth overall pick by theDetroit Shock in the first round of the2003 WNBA draft. But five days later, the Shock traded Lawson to theSacramento Monarchs in exchange forKedra Holland-Corn and a 2004 second-round draft pick. Two years later, Lawson would be a key member of the Monarchs 2005 championship team.

Lawson was a free agent when theSacramento Monarchs folded prior to the2010 WNBA season, but later signed a three-year contract with theConnecticut Sun. On March 12, 2014, Lawson was traded to theWashington Mystics forAlex Bentley, who was originally traded to Washington through theAtlanta Dream.

Lawson was selected to be a member of theUnited States national team at the 2001 World University Games held inBeijing,China. After winning the opening game easily, the USA team faced Canada and lost a close game 68–67. Needing a win to remain in medal contention, Lawson scored 25 points to help the USA team defeat Japan, and earn a spot in the quarterfinals. The USA team fell behind by 12 points against undefeated Russia, but came back to win the game by eleven points. The next game was against the unbeaten host team China, and the USA team won 89–78. The USA team won their next two games to set up the gold medal game; a rematch against the host team. China would stay close early, but the USA team prevailed and won the gold medal with a score of 87–67. Lawson was the third leading scorer on the team with 12.0 points per game and led the team in assists and steal with 16 assists and 12 steals over the course of the event.^[11]

On July 10, 2008, Lawson was selected to represent the United States with theUSA women's national basketball team at the2008 Summer Olympics inBeijing,China. She helped the United States capture the gold medal, and led the team in points (15) during the gold medal game against Australia, going a perfect 5-5 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line.^[12]

Lawson was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009.^[13] The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics was chosen from these participants. Lawson was one of 21 finalists for the U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team Roster. The 20 professional women's basketball players, plus one collegiate player (Brittney Griner), were selected by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster to represent the US at the 2012 Olympics inLondon,United Kingdom.^[14] However, Lawson did not make the final roster.

Source^[15]

Lawson began her broadcasting career while still playing in the WNBA. She served as a studio analyst for theSacramento Kings, and worked her way up to working in a variety of NBA and WNBA broadcast roles for ESPN.^[4] On January 12, 2007, she was the first woman to work as a nationwide broadcast analyst for an NBA game, when theNew Orleans Hornets took on theWashington Wizards.^[1]

In 2017, Lawson was named the primary television game analyst for the Washington Wizards, replacing longtime analystPhil Chenier as full-time host. She is one of the first primary female TV analysts for an NBA team, joiningSarah Kustok of theBrooklyn Nets.^[4]

In 2021, Lawson was a commentator forwomen's basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics.^[16]

On June 27, 2019, theBoston Celtics of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) announced that Lawson would join the team as an assistant coach.^[17] During her tenure as assistant coach in the2019–20 season, Lawson worked closely withMarcus Smart, a defensive-minded point guard, as a shooting coach.^[18][19][20]

On July 11, 2020, it was announced that Lawson was hired as the head coach of theDuke Blue Devils women's basketball team.^[21][20][22] She brought on Winston Gandy,Tia Jackson, andBeth Cunningham as assistant coaches.^[23] Her first season as head coach lasted four games after the decision to end the season in late December 2020 due to concerns over theCOVID-19 pandemic.

In the 2020 Summer Olympics, Lawson coached the USA team to a gold medal in the 3x3 basketball, defeating China 18–15 in the title match.^[3][24] In February 2024, she was announced as the assistant coach for theUSA Women's Olympic Basketball Team.^[25]

Lawson credits Pat Summitt with teaching her how to hold players accountable as a coach.^[26]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toKara Lawson.

• WNBA player profile
• WNBA career statistics fromBasketball-Reference.com
• Kara Lawson's ESPN BioArchived January 13, 2017, at theWayback Machine

• 1981 births
• Living people
• All-American college women's basketball players
• American men's basketball coaches
• American women's basketball players
• Basketball coaches from Virginia
• Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• Basketball players from Virginia
• Boston Celtics assistant coaches
• College basketball announcers in the United States
• Connecticut Sun players
• Duke Blue Devils women's basketball coaches
• Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• NBA broadcasters
• Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball
• Point guards
• Sacramento Monarchs players
• Basketball players from Alexandria, Virginia
• Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball players
• FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States
• Summer World University Games medalists in basketball
• Washington Mystics players
• Washington Wizards announcers
• Women's college basketball announcers in the United States
• WNBA All-Stars
• Medalists at the 2001 Summer Universiade
• United States women's national basketball team players
• West Springfield High School (Virginia) alumni
• Coaches at the 2024 Summer Olympics
• 21st-century American sportswomen

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