Sun sign Lawson to 3-year extension

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Connecticut Sun announced today it has signed Kara Lawson to a three-year extension.  As per team policy, terms were not released.

“We are delighted to have Kara with our organization for an extended time,” Sun Vice President and General Manager Chris Sienko said Sunday. “If this season is any indication of what is to come, it is going to be a great three years.”

Originally signed for three years as an unrestricted free agent on February 2, 2010, Lawson joined the Sun after seven seasons with the now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs. In her third season with Connecticut, Lawson is enjoying a career year, averaging 14.5 points per game with a team-high 40 made three-pointers. She leads the Sun in assists, and she is third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

“I have enjoyed my time playing for the Connecticut Sun,” Lawson said. “Top to bottom, it is the best franchise in the WNBA.  The community has embraced me and my family, and we look forward to sharing many winning seasons in the years to come.”

In the two seasons prior to this year, Lawson averaged 9.3 points with 101 made three-pointers in 67 games. She recorded a career-high 118 assists in 2010, and followed up with 96 in 2011.

“I am glad that we can get this done now,” coach Mike Thibault said Sunday. “Kara has proven to everyone why we brought her here. This has obviously been a terrific year for her. We need not only the skill level she brings to this team, but we also need that veteran presence and leadership, and her understanding of the league in order to go forward. There is a comfort level that she and I have with each other right now. It is a really good bond.”

Lawson averaged 9.3 points per game for Sacramento, appearing in 217 games with 54 starts. A former Tennessee star who was selected fifth overall by the Detroit Shock in the 2003 WNBA Draft, Lawson is a career 38.8-percent shooter from three-point range who scored her 2000th career point last year. She was a member of the 2008 United States Olympic team that defeated Australia for the gold medal.