WNBA Star Brittney Griner Had One Word After Coaching News on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 5:10 PM ET

Brittney Griner helped the Atlanta Dream set a franchise record with 30 wins, finishing 30-14 and earning the No. 3 seed in the WNBA playoffs. But despite being heavy favorites against a Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever, Griner's first season in Atlanta ended with a 2-1 series loss in the opening round.

Prior to 2025, Griner was with the Phoenix Mercury for the first 11 seasons of her career, where she made 10 All-Star appearances and won a championship. She also became a star for the USA women's national basketball team, winning three Olympic gold medals and two World Cups.

During her time with Team USA, Griner played under several coaches, including UConn’s Geno Auriemma, South Carolina’s Dawn Staley and, most recently, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve. However, on Monday, Team USA announced that Duke’s Kara Lawson will take over as head coach, leading the team through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Although it is unclear if she will play in the 2028 Olympics, Griner reacted to Lawson’s hiring as Team USA’s next coach on her Instagram Story.

"Congratulations," Griner wrote.

Lawson won a gold medal as a player for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and again as an assistant coach in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Following her playing career, Lawson began coaching as an assistant for the Boston Celtics during the 2019-20 NBA season. After one year, she was hired by the Duke Blue Devils in 2020 to take over as their next women's basketball coach.

Lawson said she is excited to take over as Team USA’s head coach, telling ESPN she hopes to lead the team to more Olympic gold.

"To win a gold medal as a player was amazing, and one of the earliest goals that I set out when I was young," Lawson said. "I think that is what drives you because you know how great that feels and you want the players you coach to experience that. You get to have this permanent memory in your sport and so the goal is to try to help them create that for themselves at the different world events."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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