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USA Basketball Coach Sends Message Ahead of Caitlin Clark Decision
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- USA Basketball Coach Sends Message Ahead of Caitlin Clark Decision
On Monday, USA Basketball announced Kara Lawson as the next head coach of the United States women's basketball team, which she will lead in search of a ninth consecutive gold medal at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles .
Lawson's first comments after taking over carry significance for WNBA star Caitlin Clark , who controversially did not make the roster for the 2024 Olympics in Paris when Cheryl Reeve was head coach.
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At the time, Clark was 22 years old and in the middle of her first season in the WNBA, during which she averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists for the Indiana Fever .
She was left off the team in favor of veteran guards such as Jewell Loyd and Diana Taurasi — neither played in the gold medal final, a 67-66 win over France.
Kara Lawson (front row, fourth from left) and Team USA celebrate on the court after defeating France in the women's gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
"The roster for the U.S. women has always been the most competitive roster to make," said Lawson, who won a gold medal as a player in 2008. "I would argue in any sport, it's the hardest roster to make. But this might be the hardest of the hardest roster to make."
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Lawson, the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team, was an assistant coach under Reeve in 2024.
She was hired by Sue Bird, the new managing director of the USA Basketball women's national team , who will also help select the final roster for the Los Angeles games.
The decision on whether to include Clark could be just as difficult in 2028 as it was last summer. According to Lawson, there is already an established group, which does not include Clark, providing tough competition.
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"There's so many good veterans that have won a lot for our country," Lawson said. "And there's an amazing group of young players that are already competing at this level."
While she missed out on the Paris Olympics, Clark has plenty of history with USA Basketball . She won gold medals at the 2019 and 2021 FIBA U19 World Cups and the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. She was also MVP of the U19 World Cup in 2021, averaging 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
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This season, Clark only played 13 games for the Fever while battling multiple muscle injuries. The 23-year-old still led the WNBA in All-Star voting, averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists.
Even if Clark is at full health in 2028, she will still have to emerge past stiff competition to prove she deserves a spot on Lawson's team.
Related: Caitlin Clark Praised for What She Did at Indiana Fever Playoff Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
