By David Desa,Total Apex Sports

Copyright yardbarker

The emotion in her voice shifts when she talks about her playing days, particularly that magical 2008 Olympic run in Beijing. “To win a gold medal as a player was amazing, and one of the earliest goals that I set out when I was young. I think that is what drives you because you know how great that feels and you want the players you coach to experience that.”

Building Tomorrow’s Champions

What sets Kara Lawson apart isn’t just her impressive resume—though winning Olympic gold as a player, coaching 3-on-3 teams, and building Duke into a powerhouse certainly helps. It’s her ability to connect with players across generations, from seasoned veterans like A’ja Wilson to rising stars she’s mentored through USA Basketball’s development programs.

The relationships she’s forged tell the story of a coach who gets it. Players like Paige Bueckers, Aliyah Boston, and Rickea Jackson all cut their teeth under Lawson’s guidance in various USA Basketball programs. These aren’t just names on a roster—they’re athletes who’ve felt her passion, absorbed her basketball IQ, and experienced her ability to extract greatness when it matters most.

“There’s nothing like the pressure of big competition,” Lawson explains, and you can hear the fire that once burned in her own competitive heart. “I love the fact that I have the experience, the Olympic experience of a gold medal game and semifinal game and the pressure of being the overwhelming favorite and having to come through.”

The Sue Bird Connection

Behind every great appointment lies a story of trust and shared vision. Sue Bird, now serving as the USA Basketball women’s managing director, didn’t just pick Lawson from a list of qualified candidates—she chose someone whose competitive DNA she’s known since they were nine-year-old rivals growing up in the Northeast.

Their relationship reads like a basketball love story: friendly rivals as kids, fierce competitors when Bird starred at UConn and Lawson dominated at Tennessee, WNBA adversaries when Bird wore Seattle green and Kara Lawson donned Sacramento colors, and finally, Olympic teammates who shared that golden moment in Beijing.

“We’ve known each other since we were 9 years old, and we’ve always had a healthy respect for each other,” Lawson says, and there’s something beautiful about that three-decade journey from childhood competition to collaborative leadership.

The Road to Los Angeles 2028

The path ahead won’t be easy. Every nation with basketball aspirations has USA Basketball in its crosshairs, and the talent pool globally has never been deeper. Australia, Belgium, France, and others have closed the gap considerably, turning what were once blowout victories into nail-biting affairs that test nerves and resolve.

But if there’s one thing Lawson’s career has taught her, it’s that greatness isn’t about avoiding pressure—it’s about embracing it, learning from it, and using it to forge champions who rise when the stakes are highest.

As she prepares to guide Team USA toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Kara Lawson carries more than just the weight of expectations. She carries the dreams of athletes who’ve spent their lives chasing that golden moment, the trust of a basketball community that believes in her vision, and the unshakeable confidence of someone who’s already climbed this mountain and knows the view from the top is worth every challenge along the way.

The countdown to Los Angeles has begun, and with Kara Lawson at the helm, Team USA’s quest for another Olympic gold medal just got a whole lot more compelling.