Nakase, Tibbetts, White join Kara Lawson's USA Basketball staff for World Cup

Kara Lawson finalized her bench Thursday, and it's a who's-who of WNBA Coach of the Year contenders. USA Basketball named Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever) as assistants for the FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin this September.

Nakase ran the expansion Valkyries to a playoff appearance in their first season and finished as a Coach of the Year finalist. Tibbetts has guided the Mercury back into title contention. White's Fever, with Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, are picked to make a Finals push in 2026. None of the three has worked the senior national team before.

The US is again the heavy favorite — Team USA hasn't lost a senior World Cup or Olympic medal-round game since 2006 — but the bench reshuffle matters. Lawson took over the program from Cheryl Reeve last cycle, and this is the first major staff she's built from scratch. Tip-off in Berlin is in early September.