Celtics Rumors: Ex-WNBA, Olympic Champion Kara Lawson Hired as Assistant Coach

Kara Lawson, a WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist, has reportedly agreed to join the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news on Lawson, who currently works as a basketball analyst for Washington Wizards and ESPN broadcasts.

Lawson also played four seasons at the University of Tennessee, averaging 13.6 points per game.

Her name is added to a growing list of female coaches in the Association that includes former Cal women's basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who joined John Beilein's Cleveland Cavaliers staff earlier this month.

She also arrives in Boston with coaching experience as the leader of the USA women's basketball three-on-three team. Three-on-three basketball will be featured in the Olympic Games beginning in 2020. Lawson led a three-on-three team to a FIBA U18 World Cup championship.

Lawson hasn't had any experience coaching five-on-five teams, but her exceptional basketball resume should make her a great fit on a Celtics staff needing some reinforcements after Micah Shrewsberry left to become a Purdue assistant coach.

Numerous analysts praised the Celtics' decision as well, including Jared Weiss and David Aldridge of The Athletic.

"Bold hire by the Celtics bringing in a highly regarded former player and commentator who hasn’t served on an NBA or G-League staff yet," Weiss tweeted.

"I discussed last month how it would be important for the Celtics to hire an assistant with a high-level playing resume to balance the staff’s strengths and her gold medals and ring from her playing career certainly fits that bill," Weiss continued.

"My only regret hearing Kara Lawson is going to the Celtics’ bench is that I won’t get to learn more about basketball from her," Aldridge tweeted. "It was a pleasure picking her brain this past season while she was the analyst for Wizards games."

New Celtics rookie Grant Williams, a former Tennessee Volunteer like Lawson, already welcomed his new assistant coach aboard.

The next few weeks are important for the Celtics as they navigate free agency, which begins Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Summer-league play begins Saturday, July 6, against the Philadelphia 76ers at 5:30 p.m. ET.