Photos: Kara Lawson named coach of USA Basketball Women’s National Team
By Kaitlin McKeown
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson will coach the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team in the 2028 Los Angeles games.
Colleagues, players, family and former teammates gathered Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium for a ceremony recognizing Lawson as the head coach of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team through 2028.
Lawson won an Olympic gold medal as a player in the 2008 Beijing games, and served as the assistant coach for the gold medalist U.S. team at the 2024 Paris games. She led the U.S. 3x3 basketball team to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson hugs Sue Bird after being named the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach during a ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson holds a jersey after being named the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach during a ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson speaks after being named the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach during a ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson shares a laugh with Sue Bird after being named the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach during a ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson smiles after being named the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach during a ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson poses for a photograph with her team after being named the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach during a ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson smiles while talking with Duke University President Vincent Price after being named the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach during a ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Flowers sit in chairs prior to a ceremony recognizing Kara Lawson as the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson listens as Sue Bird, USA Basketball’s Women’s National Team managing director, speaks during a ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at Cameron Indoor Stadium honoring Lawson as the head coach of the team through 2028. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke’s Arianna Roberson holds a puppy prior to a ceremony honoring Kara Lawson as the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson poses for a photograph after being named the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach during a ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson gets a hug after being named the 2025-2028 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach during a ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM.
