Kara Lawson’s Game-Changing Decision Sends Shockwaves Through Women’s Basketball

Kara Lawson, currently the head coach of Duke women’s basketball, has been appointed head coach of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, succeeding Cheryl Reeve and extending her rapid rise from college bench to the sport’s biggest stage. Lawson, 44, becomes only the second Black woman and third former Olympic gold-medalist player to lead the program; she captured gold on the 2008 Beijing roster and steered the U.S. women’s 3x3 squad to gold in Tokyo as coach. Her appointment also reunites her with longtime rival-turned-colleague Sue Bird, the five-time Olympic champion who, as USA Basketball’s new managing director, made Lawson her first major hire. “​There is no greater honor in our sport than to be chosen to lead the U.S. women in world competition,” Lawson said in the federation’s announcement, pledging to “work tirelessly to uphold the standards of this storied program.” Why this matters for 2028 LA Olympics • The Americans are chasing a record-extending ninth consecutive Olympic women’s basketball gold after stretching their winning streak to 61 games in Paris 2024. • With the Games returning to Los Angeles—where Pat Summitt, Lawson’s legendary Tennessee coach, led Team USA to its first women’s title in 1984—the hire layers symbolism onto expectation. Lawson’s résumé at a glance 1. Four-year All-American guard under Pat Summitt at Tennessee. 2. WNBA veteran and 2005 All-Star with the Sacramento Monarchs. 3. 2008 Olympic gold as a player; assistant coach for Boston Celtics (2019-20) before taking over Duke in 2020. 4. Guided Team USA to 3x3 gold (Tokyo 2021) and to 2025 FIBA AmeriCup title in Chile as head coach. Immediate roadmap • World Cup 2026 in Germany: Lawson’s first senior global tournament as head coach. • Talent pool: WNBA MVPs A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and emerging stars such as Aliyah Boston headline a roster Lawson must mold into a cohesive unit in short training windows. • Culture reset: Bird cited Lawson’s “leadership, competitive spirit and basketball IQ” as critical to maintaining the program’s gold-standard mentality. What’s next for Duke Lawson will remain in Durham, balancing Olympic duties with her ACC ambitions. Duke administrators expressed full support, echoing Tennessee’s Pat Summitt precedent of coaching both college and country concurrently. Search traffic takeaways Fans looking for updates on “Kara Lawson USA Basketball,” “2028 Olympic women’s basketball coach,” and “Duke coach Olympic role” will find Lawson’s dual responsibilities, historical ties to Los Angeles, and upcoming qualification events fueling conversation—and setting the countdown clock to LA28.