Team USA women's basketball continued its dominance in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, winning an eighth straight gold medal behind efforts from superstars such as A'ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier. As preparation begins for the 2028 Los Angeles games, there will be a new face leading the program.
On Monday Duke women's basketball head coach Kara Lawson was named the next head coach of Team USA women's basketball. She succeeds Cheryl Reeve, the Lynx head coach who helmed the team for the 2024 Olympics.
Lawson, 44, was an assistant on Reeve's staff last summer and won a gold medal with the 2008 team as a player. She spent 13 years playing in the WNBA and joined the Celtics' bench as an assistant in 2019. She was named head coach at Duke in 2020 and has guided the Blue Devils to a 97-41 record since, earning three NCAA tournament berths.
Lawson previously coached the Team USA 3x3 women's team to a gold medal in the 2020 Olympics.
There will be a lot of pressure on Lawson to deliver a ninth straight gold medal in front of the home crowds in America come 2028. She seems prepared for the challenge.
"There's nothing like the pressure of big competition, and so 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," Lawson told ESPN. "Having been through that as a player, and as the 3-on-3 head coach, and an assistant last year in Paris, I think anytime you get reps at the highest level, it's valuable. And, being in those battles with those high-quality players means you kind of have a feel for their competitive fibers and what makes them tick. Hopefully they feel a bit of comfortability with me as well."
Opening ceremonies for the L.A. games are currently slated for July 14, 2028.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Team USA Announces New Women's Basketball Head Coach for 2028 Los Angeles Games.