The former Celtics assistant helped the Americans to a 2-0 start the FIBA World Cup in Germany.
Though the game was much closer than anyone expected it would be, the Team USA Women's Basketball team earned a big victory on Sunday afternoon at the FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin, Germany.
The Americans toppled Italy, 55-52, to win the game and move to 2-0 in the tournament. They'll have one more game in the Group Stage before moving onto the elimination round.
The U.S. has won 11 World Cup gold medals and also owns every Olympic gold medal since 1996. This tournament doesn't technically mean much to the US, who is really just playing for pride and continued international stature. They've already clinched a spot in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as a result of being the host nation.
Remember, the Americans are coached by former Boston Celtics assistant Kara Lawson, who was the team's first female coach ever. She was with the C's during the 2019-20 season and was part of the group that reached the Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA Bubble. She left to become the head coach at Duke, where she helped the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight in this past year's NCAA Tournament.
As for the game itself on Sunday, it was not a particularly well played one for Lawson's bunch. Only one player, Jackie Young, scored in double-figures (10), and stars like Caitlin Clark (1) and Chelsea Gray (4) failed to live up to their usual WNBA production. The Americans were actually out-rebounded by the Italians (43-42) and really only won the game because of their work at the free-throw line (22-of-30).
Team USA was just 1-of-12 from three-point range and Clark, one of the best shooters in the world, was 0-for-6.
Duke Blue Devils head coach Kara Lawson reacts to a call during the first quarter of the game against the UCLA Bruins in the Sacramento Regional 4 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at the Golden 1 Center. Ed Szczepanski-Imagn ImagesAlso in the news for the Celtics
Earlier this offseason, the Celtics signed veteran guard Mike Conley to a one-year contract. He's expected to be a backup point guard for both Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, though it's unclear how many minutes per night he'll actually get.
Conley's experience, mixed with his leadership qualities, certainly make him a valuable asset to the Celtics. But what drew Conley to Boston?
According to Minnesota Timberwolves reporter Jon Krawczynski, who was a guest on the CLNS Celtics podcast, he said that Conley really wanted to "at least spend one year playing for a flagship franchise."
A career 13.6 ppg scorer, he only averaged 1.7 ppg for Minnesota last season. He also only played 18.4 minutes per game.
