The Olympics will be Sacramento Monarchs guard Kara Lawson’s fourth trip to Beijing,¹ and hopefully this time will be as successful as her first. If the U.S. women’s team wins Olympic gold for the sixth time, Lawson will get to share it with not only her teammates but also her husband, her mother, her older sister, two aunts, one cousin and her sister-in-law, all of whom are making the trip.²
“As many people as could come, I wanted to come,” said Lawson, 27. “These are memories we’re creating and we’re going to remember this trip forever. To share the highest honor you can have as an athlete with the people that are probably the most instrumental in you achieving that, it’s going to be really special.”
Lawson also gets to share the trip to Beijing with two other former Tennessee Lady Vols, Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings.³ “One of the best phone calls that I had right after I found out I made the team was with Catch,” Lawson says. “She already knew, but she couldn’t call me and say anything. She was screaming and so excited for me, more excited for me than she was for herself (they were among the final three players named to the team).”
Each player on the Olympic team has to be prepared to ride the bench when it comes to Olympic play. Lawson feels she is uniquely qualified, having only become a consistent starter in this, her sixth WNBA season.
“There is a science to starting a game and a science to coming off the bench. There is also a science to playing without the basketball,” explains Lawson.⁴ “A lot of times you have players used to having the ball in their hands all the time, because they have that role for their teams.
“Having played different roles and knowing how to come off the bench in limited minutes and still trying to have a positive impact on the team, that’s something I’m confident I can do. I know how because I’ve done it before in my pro career.”—Lois Elfman #40

Bonus Points
1. Beijing was announced as the host city of the 2008 Olympics during the World University Games in 2001, where Lawson and her teammates won gold.
2. She and husband Damien Barling cut their honeymoon short so Lawson could travel with USA Basketball to Beijing for an Olympics tune-up tournament.
3. Parker and Catchings both won NCAA titles during their time at Tennessee. While Lawson didn’t, she has won a WNBA title, which neither of the others has done yet.
4. Lawson has also observed and analyzed the game as a commentator for ESPN.

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