Kara Lawson #20 Guard

Kara Lawson
2012 Playoff Statistics
PPG14.6
RPG4.8
APG3.8
EFF +17.00

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Background

Career: Smart veteran with good all-around skills…Excellent three-point shooter climbed from 17th to 12th all-time in WNBA history during the 2010 season with 378 made threes…Her career three-point shooting percentage of .385 is second best among players on the top 20 list for made threes…Has extensive experience in pressure games at every level, winning an Olympic Gold Medal, a WNBA title and two high school state championships while also competing in the NCAA Final Four.

2011 WNBA Season: Leading candidate for Sixth Woman Award…Lawson came off the bench in 25 of 33 games she played…Had a career-high nine assists against Atlanta (7/31)…Made 55 threes, second most on the team and the fifth highest single-season total in team history…Was 55 of 128 (.430) from three-point range, the fifth best percentage in the league…Shot a career-best .449 from the field…Reached double figures in 22 of 33 games, including eight straight from 8/9-8/26…Had a season-high 17 points against Tulsa (6/12)…Scored her 2,500th career point against Chicago (8/9)…Recorded her 600th career assist against Washington (8/13)…Collected her 600th career rebound against Chicago (6/19)…Will participate in the playoffs for the seventh time in nine seasons…Made at least two threes in 21 games, and at least one three in 28 games…Moved up to ninth all-time with 433 threes.
In The Playoffs: Came off the bench to score a total of 15 points in the Atlanta series…Was 4 of 7 from three-point range…Had seven total assists.

2010 WNBA Season: Appeared in all 34 games, tying a career high with 32 starts…Racked up a career-high 118 assists…Also had a career-highs in defensive rebounds (79) and minutes played (854)…Finished the season ranked fifth in the WNBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.46)…Ranked second on the team in assists, third in made threes (46) and sixth in scoring average (8.3 ppg)…Reached 500 career assists at New York (8/1)…Played in her 250th WNBA game at Chicago (8/20)…Scored a season-high 18 points against Atlanta (7/17), hitting all four three-point attempts.

2009 WNBA Season: Appeared in 25 games for the Monarchs, averaging 8.8 points 2.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game…Had a season-high 17 points against Seattle on June 7…Tied a career-best with eight assists at Phoenix on June 13…Missed the final nine games of the season with a right knee injury…Received the 2009 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award.

2008 WNBA Season: Averaged a career-best 12.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 32 games played with 31 starts…Scored in double figures in 24 games…Led Sacramento in free throw percentage (.914).
In The Playoffs: Averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game through three playoff games.

2007 WNBA Season: Averaged 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 34 games played…Named as a replacement player for the 2007 All-Star Game…Scored in double figures in 17 games…Tied a career-high 24 points at Houston (6/11)…Grabbed a season-high eight rebounds at Los Angeles (6/22)…Dished out a season-high six assists at Los Angeles (6/27).
In The Playoffs: Averaged 12.3 points on 50.0% shooting, 2.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in three playoff games

2006 WNBA Season: Averaged 8.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in 34 games played…Had six starts…Finished seventh in the WNBA in three-point field goal percentage…Scored a season-high 19 points at Phoenix (8/13)…Pulled down a season-high six rebounds at San Antonio (8/3).
In The Playoffs: Averaged 12.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in nine playoff games, all starts…Recorded a post-season career-high 22 points at Detroit (8/30), 10 rebounds at Los Angeles (8/26) and a WNBA Finals record six three-pointers at Detroit (8/30).

2005 WNBA Season: Averaged 8.0 points and 1.5 assists per game in 24 games played with one start…Sat out seven games at the beginning of season (5/27-6/11) due to an ankle sprain and also sat out the final two games of the regular season (8/25-8/27) due to a left shoulder subluxation…Finished third in the WNBA in three-point field goal percentage…Scored a season-high 18 points vs. Seattle (8/20)…Pulled down a season-high six rebounds at Los Angeles (8/16).
In The Playoffs: Averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in eight playoff games…Recorded a then post-season-high 18 points and then post-season-high nine rebounds and seven assists vs. Houston (9/10).

2004 WNBA Season: Averaged 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 34 games played with 10 starts…Tied a franchise-high and a career-high twice, most recently when she netted six, three-pointers (6-of-9) in the double overtime loss to Los Angeles (7/29)…Had a perfect game at Connecticut (7/9) as she shot 8-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-5 from behind the arc, scoring a season-high 21 points…Grabbed a season-high seven rebounds vs. New York (7/1)…Dished out a career-high eight assists vs. Minnesota (9/19).
In The Playoffs: Averaged 9.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in six playoff contests…Scored a then post-season-high 17 points at Los Angeles (9/28) and dished out a post-season-high five assists at Seattle (10/3).

2003 WNBA Season: Averaged 7.7 points in 34 games…Tied a franchise-high and set a career-high when she scored six three-pointers (6-of-8) in the win over Los Angeles (7/31) and also scored a career-high 24 points…Grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds at Houston (8/5).
In The Playoffs: Averaged 5.3 points per game in six playoff games…Scored a post-season-high 12 points and grabbed a post-season-high eight boards vs. Houston (8/29).

College: Ranks second all-time at Tennessee in career three-pointers made (256) and three-point field goal percentage (.415) and also ranks third all-time in career free throw percentage (.847)…Averaged 13.6 and 4.3 rebounds per game during her four-year college career, appearing in all 143 games and making 137 starts…Led the SEC in three-point field-goal percentage (43.6%) her freshman year…Scored a career-high 32 points vs. Mississippi State (3/8/03)…Pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds versus DePaul (12/19/01)…Recorded a career-high nine assists against ODU…Snagged a career-high five steals against LSU…Led the Lady Vols from the charity stripe for three seasons (2000-2002) and was among the team’s top three scorers all four years…2003 Kodak All-American, Associated Press All-America Second Team and Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Student-Athlete of the Year…Four-time All-SEC first team honoree (2000-2003)…Two-time Naismith Player of the Year finalist (2002-03)…Two-time U.S. Basketball Writers of America All-America honoree (2002-03)…2003 CoSIDA/Verizon first team Academic All-American selection (Tennessee’s first representative since 1984)…2002 AP All-America third team, Kodak All-America nominee and District Finalist…2001 AP Honorable Mention All-America and CoSIDA/Verizon Academic All-District honoree…2000 Women’s Basketball Journal Freshman All-America selection and SEC All-Freshman Team.

Personal

Full name is Kara Marie Lawson…Married Damien Barling on April 12, 2008…Daughter of William and Kathleen Lawson, and is the middle child; her two sisters are Susan and Mary Catherine…Was a member of the Sacramento Kings broadcasting team for three seasons working as an analyst for the Kings House Party Live warm-up show, as well as the Kings half-time and wrap-up shows…In late 2006, expanded her role with ESPN as a sideline reporter for the NBA while continuing her role with ESPN as a studio analyst for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship as well as the regular season…Worked for ESPN as a color analyst during the 2004 and 2005 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament and also was a member of the broadcast team for the 2004 and 2005 WNBA Draft…In 2003, one of seven recipients of the prestigious Torchbearer Award given by the University of Tennessee…Is very active in community service and has received numerous awards for her efforts…Also active in Race for the Cure and various activities of the American Cancer Society…Plays piano…Named the 1999 Naismith High School Player of the Year as a senior…Also in 1999, was an All-America selection with USA TODAY, Parade and the WBCA…Earned MVP honors at the Virginia and WBCA All-Star games…Was named the 1998 and 1999 Gatorade Player of the Year for Virginia…Entered kindergarten reading at the fourth grade level…Was a standout youth football player as a running back and a linebacker for the Fairfax County Football League, leading her team in three categories: rushing, scoring and interceptions. Named to the 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team…Led the team with 15 points (5-of-5 shooting from the field; 4-of-4 shooting from the free throw line) off the bench as the U.S. beat Australia, 92-65, in the gold medal game in Beijing, China…Helped the team to an unbeaten 8-0 record in the 2008 Olympics by finishing with 56 points (7.0 ppg), a team-high 24 assists (3.0 apg), 16 rebounds (2.0 rpg), eight steals (1.0 spg) and one block (0.1 spg)… Participated with the 2007-08 USA Basketball Women’s National Team and was a member of the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship Team…Invited to play with the 2006 USA Basketball Women’s National Team during their Spring Training…Played five games with the 2003 WNBA Select Team that participated in the FIBA Women’s World Cup where they finished second…Captain of the gold-medal winning U.S. World University Games Team in 2001…Member of bronze-medal winning U.S. Women’s World Youth Games Team (1998).

Career Transactions

Signed as a free agent with the Sun on February 2, 2010…Traded by Detroit to Sacramento for Kedra Holland-Corn and a 2004 second round draft pick on April 29, 2003…Selected by Detroit in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2003 WNBA Draft.

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