Table of Biography
Kara Lawson is a well-known American women’s basketball player. Kara Lawson played in the Women’s Basketball Association. Moreover, she is best known as the women’s basketball TV analyst for ESPN.
Early Life and Childhood
Kara Lawson was born Kara Marie Lawson on February 14, 1981. She stepped into this world in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. By, she is currently 43 years old and American by nationality. Similarly, her birth sign according to her birth date is Aquarius and she follows Christianity.
Moving on to her family members, she was born to her father William Lawson, and her mother Kathleen Lawson. Likewise, she also has a sister named Susan Lawson with whom she grew up. Likewise, she is of African-American ethnicity.
Caption: Kara with her mom (source: Pinterest)
Education
Talking about her educational status, she first joined Sidwell Friends School in her freshman year. Then, she joined West Springfield High School where she played basketball and soccer games. She did her college graduation there.
Furthermore, after that, she attended the University of Tennessee and also played for the Lady Vols Basketball. In addition. Kara then joined UT’s College of Business and graduated with a degree in Finance in 2003.
Professional Life and Career
High School and College Career
Lawson spent her freshman year at Sidwell Friends School before transferring to West Springfield High School, where she was a member of the girls’ basketball and soccer teams. Lawson has been chosen to the WBCA All-American team. She won MVP honors for her performance in the 1999 WBCA High School All-America Game when she scored twenty points.
Lawson was a member of the Lady Vols basketball team, which was coached by Pat Summitt at the University of Tennessee. She studied at the University of Texas College of Business and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2003. The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association presented Lawson with the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the top senior player under 5 feet 8 inches (1.7 m).
Lawson was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee, the governing body of the UT system, by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam in 2018. Diverse: Issues In Higher Education designated Lawson Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar in 2003.
US National Team
At the 2001 World University Games in Beijing, China, Lawson was chosen to represent the United States on the national squad. Following an easy win in the first round, the USA team met Canada and lost a tough game 68–67. Lawson scored 25 points to help the USA team upset Japan and advance to the quarterfinals, which they needed to stay in medal contention.
The USA team went down by 12 points against Russia, who was unbeaten at the time but fought back to win by eleven points. The following game was against China, who was undefeated at the time, and the USA team won 89–78. The USA team won their next two games to earn a rematch against the home team in the gold medal game.
Early on, China would keep close, but the USA team would come out on top, winning the gold medal with a score of 87–67. Lawson was the club’s third-leading scorer with 12.0 points per game, and he also led the team in assists and steals with 16 assists and 12 steals.
Lawson was named to the United States women’s national basketball team on July 10, 2008, and will compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. She was instrumental in the United States winning the gold medal, scoring 15 points in the gold medal game against Australia while shooting a perfect 5-5 from the field and 4-4 from the free-throw line.
More Details
In the fall of 2009, Kara Lawson went to the USA Basketball Women’s National Team training camp. These athletes normally make up the team that will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics. Following the training camp, the squad will compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Lawson was one of 21 finalists for a spot on the roster of the United States Women’s Olympic Basketball Team. The USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee chose 20 professional women’s basketball players and one collegiate player (Brittney Griner) to vie for a spot on the final roster to represent the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London, United Kingdom. Lawson, on the other hand, did not make the final roster.
Broadcasting career
While still playing in the WNBA, Kara Lawson began her broadcasting career. She began her career as a studio analyst for the Sacramento Kings and progressed to several NBA and WNBA broadcast responsibilities for ESPN. When the New Orleans Hornets faced the Washington Wizards on January 12, 2007, she became the first woman to work as a nationwide broadcast analyst for an NBA game.
Kara Lawson was designated the principal television game analyst for the Washington Wizards in 2017, taking over full-time hosting duties from long-time analyst Phil Chenier. She joins Sarah Kustok of the Brooklyn Nets as one of the first primary female TV analysts for an NBA team. Lawson served as a commentator for women’s basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.
Caption: Kara Lawson hosting a basketball match (source: Wikipedia)
Kara Lawson – Net Worth 2024
Kara Lawson has made a pretty small amount of money throughout her career. However, she hasn’t revealed her exact net worth. Though, her estimated net worth is around $1 million US dollars.
Relationship Status
Kara Lawson married Damien Barling after meeting him while working in Sacramento shortly after the Monarchs won the WNBA title. In April 2008, they tied the knot. Barling works at ESPN 1320 in Sacramento as a radio host. Following her official appointment as a color analyst, he interviewed Lawson on his show.
Caption: Kara Lawson with her husband (source: liverampup)
Kara Lawson – Body Measurements
Enhancing her body measurements, Kara Lawson has a fit and attractive body as an athlete. Talking of her height and weight, she is 5 feet 9 inches or 1.75 meters tall and weighs around 75 kg. Similarly, she wears shoes of size 8 (US). In addition, the basketball player has black hair and a pair of dark brown eyes.
Social Media
When it comes to her social media handles, Kara Lawson is popular with them. She has 67k followers on Facebook, more than 30.8k followers on Instagram, and 79.2k followers on Twitter.