Duke University Blue Devils

Former WNBA and Olympic Champion Kara Lawson was named Duke University’s sixth head women’s basketball coach on July 11, 2020. Lawson enters her fourth year at the helm in 2023-24. 

Lawson guided the Blue Devils to their best season in recent history as Duke finished the 2022-23 campaign with a 26-7 overall record featuring a 14-4 mark and second-place finish in ACC play, while also earning a No. 3 seed and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Duke’s 26 victories were a season’s best dating back to the 2016-17 campaign while the 14 conference victories were the most since 2012-13.

Duke boasted one of the nation’s most elite defenses in Lawson’s third year, as the Blue Devils concluded the 2022-23 season ranked third in the NCAA in scoring defense (51.0) and 10th in field goal percentage defense (35.2). The team held each of its opponents below its season scoring average, including 17 to 50 points or less.

In addition to gaining national recognition for the team’s stifling defense, under Lawson’s direction, Celeste Taylor turned an in impressive season that culminated in the senior earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors – becoming just the fifth Blue Devil to be bestowed the defensive crown. Taylor earned nods to the All-ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team as well, was named a finalist for the 2023 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year while also being tabbed an AP All-America Honorable Mention team.

On the recruiting trail, Duke brought in their second straight top-15 recruiting haul as Lawson signed the No. 6 Class to NLI’s. The 2023 class marked Duke's first recruiting haul since the 2015 class with a player ranked in the top-five nationally by ESPN, as well as the first group since the 2014 class with at least three prospects ranked in the ESPN top 30. The four-member class includes Jadyn Donovan (No. 3), Oluchi Okananwa (No. 27), Delaney Thomas (No. 29) and Jordan Wood (No. 63).

The 2021-22 season saw Lawson lead the Duke women’s basketball team to a 17-13 overall record, featuring a pair of top-25 victories over No. 9/12 Iowa (Dec. 2) and No. 17 Notre Dame (Jan. 2). She also guided the Blue Devils to their first national ranking since the 2018-19 preseason, ranking as high as 15th nationally in the AP poll.

Under her guidance, Shayeann Day-Wilson had one of the best rookie seasons in Blue Devil history en route to earning ACC Freshman of the Year honors - the first Blue Devil to achieve the feat since Elizabeth Williams in 2012. Day-Wilson led Duke, as well as all ACC freshmen, in scoring with 368 points (12.7 ppg), checking in at No. 10 on Duke’s freshman record charts. 

The summer of 2022 also saw Lawson selected as an assistant coach on Cheryl Reeve’s staff for the U.S. Women’s National Team that competed at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup, where she helped lead Team USA to the gold medal.

Lawson brought her decorated basketball career, both on and off the court, to the Blue Devils after spending the 2020 season as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. She helped Boston to a 43-21 record and a third-place standing in the Eastern Conference prior to the stoppage of the 2019-20 NBA season due to COVID-19. Lawson was the Celtics first female coach in the franchise’s 73-year history.

Lawson helped Team USA make history in the summer of 2021 as she guided the United States 3x3 Women’s National Team to a gold medal in its Olympic debut in Tokyo.  It marked her 10th overall gold medal in USA Basketball competition and seventh as a coach.  Lawson is one of only three women in Olympic history to win gold as both a player and head coach in basketball, joining Anne Donovan and Dawn Staley. 

Her impact on the women’s basketball community is evident as she was named one of the 100 most influential people in women’s college basketball, as announced by Silver Waves Media in the summer of 2020.  Lawson is also a founding board member for the Boston Celtics United for Social Justice.  

Following an exceptional playing career, Lawson spent two years as the primary television analyst for the Washington Wizards while also broadcasting games for ESPN Radio.  In addition to her role covering the Wizards for NBC Sports Washington, Lawson served as a game and studio analyst for men’s and women’s college basketball and the NBA for ESPN. On January 12, 2007, she became the first female analyst for a nationally-televised NBA game.  Lawson also served as a color announcer during the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo with NBC.
 
In 2021, Lawson assisted USA Basketball’s 3x3 team qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games, guiding the squad to an 8-1 record and the gold medal. She has helped USA Basketball 3x3 teams capture seven gold medals since 2017. With Lawson on the sideline, the USA U18 women have won four straight titles (2021 Olympics, 2017 & 2019 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cups and 2018 Youth Olympic Games), while the U18 men won gold at the 2019 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup. Additionally, Lawson helped guide both the USA 3x3 men’s and women’s teams to first-place finishes at the 2019 Pan American Games.

In 13 WNBA seasons, Lawson averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 377 career games with the Sacramento Monarchs, Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics from 2003 to 2015. She surpassed 3,000 points, 800 rebounds and 700 assists in the WNBA.  Lawson was the No. 5 overall selection by the Detroit Shock in the 2003 WNBA Draft. In 
addition to her WNBA career, which included winning a WNBA championship with the Monarchs in 2005 as well as an All-Star appearance in 2007, Lawson was a member of the Team USA roster that captured the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

A four-time All-SEC selection and two-time All-America choice at Tennessee, Lawson played for the late Pat Summitt and led the Lady Vols to three NCAA Final Four appearances during her collegiate career. Lawson appeared in 143 games, making 137 starts, and helped Tennessee to a 126-17 overall and 54-2 mark in the SEC over her four seasons. Lawson guided the Lady Vols to four straight SEC regular season and tournament crowns, as well as 2000, 2002 and 2003 NCAA Final Four appearances.

Lawson currently ranks third all-time at Tennessee in three-point field goals made (256), second in three-point field goal percentage (.415) and also ranks third in career free throw percentage (.847).  Lawson averaged 13.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while closing her career ranking sixth in career points with 1,950.  Lawson also was stellar in the classroom and was a 2003 CoSIDA/Verizon First Team Academic All-America selection.

Lawson’s playing career has her in elite company as she is one of only three NCAA Division I women’s basketball coaches to play in a NCAA Final Four, win a WNBA Championship and win an Olympic Gold Medal (Lindsay Whalen of Minnesota and Cynthia Cooper-Dyke of Texas Southern).

In 2003, Lawson was one of seven recipients of the prestigious Torchbearer Award given by the University of Tennessee.  

Along with her participation with the 2008 USA Basketball gold medal winning squad, Lawson has extensive international experience.  She played with the 2007-08 USA Basketball Women’s National Team and was a member of the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship Team.  Lawson was invited to play with the 2006 USA Basketball Women’s National Team during their spring training.  She played five games with the 2003 WNBA Select Team that participated in the FIBA Women’s World Cup, was the captain of the gold-medal winning U.S. World University Games Team in 2001 and was a member of bronze-medal winning U.S. Women’s World Youth Games Team in 1998.

As a senior at West Springfield High School, she was selected the 1999 Naismith High School Player of the Year while earning All-America accolades from USA Today, Parade and the WBCA.  Additionally, she was the 1998 and 1999 Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia and led her squad to two state championships.

Lawson graduated from Tennessee in 2003 with a degree in finance.  



The Kara Lawson File
Hometown:  Alexandria, Va.
Education:  Tennessee, 2003 (Finance)
High School:  West Springfield High School
Birthday:  February 14, 1981
 
Coaching Experience:
2020-present:  Duke University (Head Coach)
2022: Assistant Coach - USA Basketball FIBA Women’s World Cup
2019-20:  Boston Celtics (Assistant Coach)
2017-present:  USA Basketball 3-on-3 Team (Head Coach)
 
USA Basketball Highlights:
2022 U.S. Women’s National Team Assistant Coach  - FIBA Women’s World Cup (Gold Medal)
2022 USA Basketball Women’s 3x3 National Team Head Coach - 2022 FIBA 3x3 World Cup
2021 USA 3-on-3 National Team - Tokyo Olympics (Gold Medal)
Helped lead 3x3 teams to seven gold medals since 2017
Led U18 3x3 teams to three straight titles
Led 3x3 men’s and women’s teams to gold medal at 2019 Pan American Games
2009 National Team Training Camp
2008 National Team – Beijing Olympics (Gold Medal)
2007 FIBA Americas Championship Team (Gold Medal)
2006 National Team Spring Training Team
2001 World University Games (Gold Medal)
1998 World Youth Games Team (Bronze Medal)

WNBA Highlights:
Surpassed 3,000 points, 800 rebounds and 700 assists over her 13-year career
Led nine of her teams to the playoffs out of 13 seasons
2012 & 2009 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award winner
2007 WNBA All-Star
Led Sacramento Monarchs to WNBA Title in 2005
Drafted in the 2003 Draft, No. 5 overall, by the Detroit Shock
2003 WNBA Select Team that played in FIBA World Cup (2nd)
 
Tennessee Highlights:
Guided Tennessee to a 126-17 overall and 54-2 SEC record
Led Lady Vols to four straight SEC Tournament and regular season titles
Made 2000, 2002 and 2003 NCAA Final Four appearances
Ranks sixth all-time in scoring (1,950)
Four-time All-SEC First Team (2000-03)
Two-time Naismith Player of the Year finalist (2002-03)
Two-time U.S. Basketball Writers of America All-America honoree (2002-03)
2003 Kodak All-America
2003 Associated Press Second Team All-America
2003 Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Student-Athlete of the Year
2003 CoSIDA/Verizon First Team Academic All-America selection
2002 Associated Press Third Team All-America
2001 Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America
2001 CoSIDA/Verizon Academic All-District honoree
2000 Women’s Basketball Journal Freshman All-America and SEC All-Freshman Team