Kara Lawson to Lead Team USA 🇺🇸

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Duke head coach and former WNBA star Kara Lawson has been named head coach of the USA women’s national 5-on-5 team through the 2028 Olympics. (USA Basketball)

WHY IT MATTERS: Lawson is a seasoned leader for Team USA. She won a WNBA title with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005, captured Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008, and has coached Duke to three straight NCAA tournament appearances. She also led Team USA’s 3×3 squad to gold in Tokyo in 2020. Now, she takes the reins of the senior national team at a pivotal moment heading into Los Angeles 2028.

Her season may be over, but Nneka Ogwumike is still setting records. The 10x All-Star has won the WNBA Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award, her fourth time winning this honor and the most ever for any WNBA player. (WNBA)

WHY IT MATTERS: Named for the late Kim Perrot, who helped the Houston Comets to their first two championships before passing away in 1999, the award honors integrity and fair play sportsmanship. Ogwumike’s professionalism and leadership have set the standard for more than a decade, both as a player and as the longtime president of the WNBPA.

Unrivaled Basketball is already building for its second season. The 3-on-3 winter league kicked off 2026 player announcements Monday with fan favorites Paige Bueckers, Saniya Rivers, and Erica Wheeler joining the lineup for the first time. Returners include Alyssa Thomas, Rickea Jackson, and Satou Sabally. (Unrivaled Basketball)

WHY IT MATTERS: Fresh off a successful debut season, Unrivaled already announced the addition of two new clubs and a development squad, boosting the player pool by 50%. Though games won’t tip off until January 2026, they are wasting no time locking in top talent. They will announce six players per day this week, with the development squad to be revealed later this year.