The Duke Blue Devils women’s basketball program is headed to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018. Leading the charge on the sideline is Kara Lawson, who is in her fourth season at the helm.
It hasn’t taken long for Lawson to rise into stardom as one of the biggest names in coaching. The No. 5 pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft, Lawson first got into broadcasting during her playing career, taking over as the Wizards’ primary TV analyst in 2017. She took a small step back from the broadcast booth to join the Celtics as an assistant coach in 2019.
Duke poached Lawson from the Celtics at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 but things got out to a rocky start, to say the least. Less than four years later, the program is four wins away from its first-ever national title.
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How has Lawson made such a meteoric rise in the coaching ranks? Here is a closer look at her path and what she’s done for Duke’s women’s program in four short years.
Kara Lawson coaching timeline
USA Basketball (3×3 head coach, 5×5 assistant coach)
Seasons coached: 2017-Present
Lawson, who, as a player, won a gold medal for Team USA at the 2008 Olympics, has worn several hats for the…
