Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson has been named as the 2025-28 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Head Coach, it was announced on Monday, Sept. 22.
Lawson was selected by Sue Bird, the USA Basketball’s Women’s National Team managing director, and was then approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.
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“I will work tirelessly to uphold the standards of this storied program,” Lawson said in a school-issued statement. “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!”
Lawson is a former Olympic gold medalist with Team USA, winning three gold medals as a player. As a coach, she has led Team USA to 10 gold medals at multiple FIBA 3×3 World Cups, the 2019 Pan American Games (3×3) and the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (3×3).
“I am so excited to welcome Kara Lawson as the next head coach of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team,” Bird said. “Having shared the court with her, I know firsthand the leadership, competitive spirit and basketball IQ 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.”
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Entering her sixth year at the helm of the Duke program, Lawson has a 97-41 overall record and has led Duke to three-straight 20-win seasons. Most recently, the Blue Devils are coming off the 2025 ACC tournament championship and an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight.
Lawson played under the late Pat Summitt at the University of Tennessee, being a four-time All-SEC and two-time All-American and helping to lead the Lady Vols to three NCAA Final Four appearances (2000, 2002, 2003) along with four-straight SEC regular season and tournament titles. She was drafted No. 5 overall by the Detroit Shock in the 2003 WNBA Draft, spending 13 seasons in the league before her retirement in 2015.
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Lawson will lead Team USA at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin in the fall of 2026 and at the Olympics Games Los Angeles 2028. She will also guide the team during qualifiers, training camps and exhibitions through the Olympic cycle.
“Kara has been involved with USA Basketball dating back to 1998 as a high school player in the World Youth Games,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. “Her international basketball experience is extensive, including 13 gold medals. To say her journey with us has been impressive is an understatement. I’m excited to watch Kara and Sue work together to deliver success at the World Cup in Berlin next fall and at the Olympic Games in L.A. in 2028.”
The Duke women’s basketball team gets its season started on Nov. 3 vs. Baylor in Paris, France, as part of Oui-Play Paris 2025.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke’s Kara Lawson to lead USA Women’s Basketball through 2028
