From the hardwood in Santiago, Chile, last summer, Kara Lawson’s leadership added another defining chapter to her USA Basketball legacy.
Guiding a USA Women’s AmeriCup Team of collegiate stars to a 7-0 run at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, plus qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, Lawson earned her 10th gold medal, and now, the honor of 2025 USA Basketball Coach of the Year.
The USA flew to Santiago with a team of college players, matching up with teams whose rosters featured significant professional and international experience. After reaching the semifinals unscathed, Lawson willed the USA to wins over title favorites Canada and Brazil . The USA trailed in both games, and strong fourth quarters in both bouts led the Americans to the tournament title.
“What a performance by our team,” Lawson said after the USA’s 92-84 win over Brazil in the title game. “We knew it was going to be just a tough, physical game. It was what we expected. Brazil is a wonderful team and their power they have in their front court gave us some challenges, and our team just continued to fight.”
The Americans led the tournament in scoring (91.3 points per game), field goal percentage (44.9%), blocks (5.3 blocks per game), steals (17.6 steals per game) and efficiency (120.0).
Lawson’s journey with USA Basketball began long before her coaching stint in Santiago.
She started with the junior national team in 1998 and culminated in an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. That background shapes her approach today, with a firsthand understanding of the competitiveness of the player pool and the expectations that come with wearing USA across the chest.
Earlier this year, Lawson was named head coach of the USA Women’s National Team. Selected by her teammate on the 2008 Olympic Team and USA Basketball Women’s National Team managing director Sue Bird, the appointment places Lawson at the forefront of the program as it looks ahead to the 2028 Olympic cycle in Los Angeles. Her next major coaching assignment will be the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup this fall—a competition for which the USA qualified in Chile.
Across decades of service to the sport, Lawson has worn nearly every hat possible: player, coach, mentor, analyst and leader. The 2025 USA Basketball Coach of the Year honor is recognition for a career rooted in trust, competitive excellence and a deep understanding of what it takes to represent the U.S. at the highest level. And it’s still only bubbling — she’s far from finished when it comes to shaping the next generation of champions.
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