Kara Lawson to join Boston Celtics as assistant coach, according to report

Wizards TV color analyst Kara Lawson will be moving from television to the coaching sidelines this fall. The Boston Celtics hired her as an assistant coach according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Thursday.

Lawson spent the last two seasons as the Wizards’ color analyst where she replaced longtime analyst Phil Chenier. Lawson also has served as an ESPN analyst for over a decade for NBA, WNBA and college basketball work.

In addition, Lawson also is a longtime WNBA veteran where she is most famous as a point guard for the Sacramento Monarchs (2003-09) where she won a championship in 2005 and won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2008. After the Monarchs folded in 2009, Lawson played for the Connecticut Sun (2010-13). She finished her WNBA career with the Mystics from 2014-15.

Though she is better known as a broadcaster, this isn’t Lawson’s first coaching gig. She has coached USA Basketball’s youth 3X3 women’s teams. She coached the U-18 3X3 women’s team to the Gold Medal in 2017.

With Lawson leaving the Wizards, it makes way for Drew Gooden III to step in as the new color analyst. However, even that isn’t clear.

NBC Sports Washington has yet to decide whether Steve Buckhantz will return next year as the primary play-by-play announcer. If he doesn’t return, there are 12 people auditioning including NFL Network’s Dan Hellie and NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dave Feldman.

And though I’m not sure if her name will be put into the ring, maybe Mystics and Go-Go play-by-play announcer Meghan McPeak could have a shot too. But we will find out soon enough.

Congratulations Kara on the new gig!