Former UT hoops stars set to do some damage on hardwood
Throughout her time in basketball, Kara Lawson has been quite the trailblazer. After a stellar playing career at the University of Tennessee, she won an Olympic gold medal in 2008, was an all-star in the WNBA and also won a league title. She retired from the game in 2015 to concentrate on a career in broadcasting.
After serving as an analyst for the Sacramento Kings during the WNBA offseason while playing for the same city’s Monarchs, Lawson first became a color commentator for the Washington Wizards. Later, she went to work for ESPN, covering both men’s and women’s college basketball and appearing regularly on the network’s NBA telecasts.
Now, however, she has traded in her headset and microphone for a whistle and a clipboard. Lawson recently was hired by Brad Stevens to be an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics. She is one of only four full-time female assistants in the league, joining Becky Hammon (San Antonio), Jenny Boucek (Dallas) and Lindsay Gottlieb (who was recently hired by Cleveland).
She’s wasted little time getting to work for Boston, as she’s been on the sideline for the team in the MGM Resorts NBA Las Vegas Summer League. There, she is coaching another former Tennessee player, Grant Williams, who was selected by the team as the 22nd overall pick in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft.
Williams was quick to embrace his new assistant coach. “Welcome to the family,” he said in a tweet following her hire. “Vols gotta stick together, it seems.”
Williams is one of four former Vols currently playing in the summer league. The others include Detroit’s Jordan Bone, who recently signed with the Pistons after getting off to a late start in Vegas; Kyle Alexander, who, despite going undrafted, played well enough for the Miami Heat to earn a roster spot with them; and Admiral Schofield, who signed with the Wizards after a solid stay in the Nevada desert. Former Vol Jarnell Stokes was a late arrival for Portland this summer, playing five games for the Trail Blazers and averaging 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Stokes is signed for a team in China, but he’s waiting for a possible invitation to an NBA training camp. He has played in 28 league games since he left Big Orange Country.
Two more VFLs have joined forces in Philadelphia, as Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson are now together with the 76ers. Richardson went to the City of Brotherly Love as part of a trade that sent Jimmy Butler (one of the league’s most coveted stars despite his sometimes volatile personality) to the Miami Heat. While far from being a superstar in South Beach, Richardson was a solid role player for the Heat since he left Rocky Top in 2015.
Harris, who played two seasons in Knoxville before leaving early for the draft in 2011, was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats before his rights were later acquired by Milwaukee. He spent time with the Bucks, Pistons and Magic before having a breakout season last year for the Los Angeles Clippers. Picked up by Philly at the trade deadline, Harris helped the Sixers close out the regular season in solid fashion and was a key asset during their strong playoff run.
